Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War
by colossalblackening
Summary: After using the Power of Waking to find Kairi, Sora awakens in the mysterious land of Hueco Mundo with no memories of his past life. Lost and confused, Sora joins forces with the Soul Reaper, Sōsuke Aizen and his Arrancar army. However, there is more to the truth of his lost memories than what he believes. (All chapters revised and posted).
1. Arrival in Hueco Mundo!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: This is a new story that came to my head. As you can guess, it's a crossover between Kingdom Hearts and Bleach. Hope you enjoy.**_

 _ **I don't own Bleach and Kingdom Hearts**_

 _ **Ep. 1: "Arrival in Hueco Mundo! The Hollow World!"**_

"Where am I?"

Picking himself up from the sand was a boy no older than fifteen years old. He wore a sleek hooded black and red-lined hoodie with grey pockets, six golden buttons, and grey stripes on the sleeves. He also wore a black v-neck shirt with white lining underneath. His shorts are ankle length with armored sidings attached by red straps that wrap around his legs. He also wore black and yellow shoes with blue straps. On each hands are gauntlets with a similar look to his jacket with red linings and grey circles on the backs and exposed the palms of his hands. There was also yellow buckled straps wrapped around his wrists.

He looked around and saw nothing but a large, white desert that showed no signs of life for miles. In fact, one would say that this world was completely hollow. Because that's what it was. Unknown to Sora, this is the world of Hueco Mundo.

"How'd I end up here!?" Sora said, examining his current environment. "How did I even get here! Last thing I remember was…" Suddenly, as if hit by a rock, Sora fell on his knees, experiencing a large margin. After it came down, Sora tried to finish what he was saying only to realize that, "What was I doing?"

He couldn't remember a thing. "Come to think of it, what am I?" Sora grabbed his head in confusion. "Ahhhhh, I can't remember anything. This is so frustrating!"

After calming down, he looked on ahead and noticed a large fortress in the distance which, unknown to him, was known as Las Noches. "Well I don't know anything, but I know I won't find answers standing here. Hopefully I can find some over at that castle."

With that, Sora began running towards the castle, unaware of several creatures that were observing him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Las Noches, a meeting was being held. Ten individuals soon entered the room, some of whom were discussing the recent activity going on.

"It appears we have an intruder." Said a tall and thin male. He has shoulder-length pink hair with bangs on the right side of his forehead, with two thin lines of missing hair on the left side of his head with amber eyes and glasses. He wears a long shirt that covers his entire torso up to the top of his neck with three stripes on his uniform, each starting at his collar with two running to each side of his chest and one down the middle. He wears the regular pants with a slight length taken away along with white gloves. This is Szayelaporro Granz.

"Did the Soul Society decide to attack us already?" asked the largest, muscular man in the entire group. He has tan skin and a ridge-lined cranium. He has brown eyes, black hair, long, bushy sideburns, and a thin ponytail reaching his upper-back, though he is bald. He has orange eyebrows and red markings under his eyes. He wears a white opened jacket. Interestingly, he has a large hole located in the center of his chest. There is also a large jawbone beneath his jaw. He is known as Yammy Riyalgo.

"Highly unlikely. It has been less than a month since they learned Lord Aizen was against them." replied a slender, yet muscular, man of average height. His face appears stoic and melancholic. He has fairly short, messy black hair, pale white skin, a black upper lip, and green eyes with small slit-shaped pupils. He has distinctively thick eyebrows and teal lines that descend from the lower part of his eyes. His uniform consists of a white jacket, black sash, and a white hakama. However, his jacket has longer coattails than others, and the collar is higher. The top-left side of his head is covered by a broken horned helmet. His name is Ulquiorra Cifer. "They could not have been organized to attack Hueco Mundo this soon."

"If it wasn't the Soul Society then who was it?" An elderly man, with a white mustache, hair, and five pointed crown demanded. His face is lined by large scars on the left side of his chin and across his right eye. Despite his aged appearance, he appears quite stocky and muscular. He wears a regal white leather coat with black fur lining, short sleeves, and three black fur stripes running along the bottom. He wears a golden wristband on both wrists, and a belt consisting of three thick chains attached to a large metal disk with a sun emblem. This is Baraggan Louisenbairn. "Who would be foolish enough to attack us?"

"Perhaps a lone Soul Reaper decided to attack Hueco Mundo." Szayelaporro said, taking his seat.

This earned a large grin from a very tall, thin man. He has black hair that hangs past his shoulders, concealing the left side of his face and a large white eyepatch. His clothing consists of a modified Arrancar jacket with an overblown spoon-like hood and an opening starting at the neckline, showing most of his midsection, and closing at his waist. He wears the standard hakama, but the ends of his pant legs closed inside his extended and curved boots. He is Nnoitra Gilga. "Sounds interesting. Maybe I should go there and greet him."

"Shut up. I'm tired as hell so let's get this over with." Said a middle-aged man with long dark-brown hair that reaches his shoulders. He has a faded goatee. His clothing consists of a white jacket outlined in black, though altered with the collar upturned. A black sash is worn in a manner like a matador around his waist and he wears white gloves. A fanged bottom jaw is positioned along his neck. A hole is seen on his sternum, right below the tip of his mask. He is Coyote Starrk.

Soon all the ten individuals were seated. Soon enough, the door opened, revealing three people standing in front.

The first man had silver lanky hair, with bangs that hung between his face. He wears a uniform that consists of a black hakama, with a long white robe with long bell sleeves over it. A sword is also seen sticking out from under the robe through the opening down to his waist. His most distinguishing feature is his facial expression, with his eyes constantly narrowed to slits, along with a wide mocking smile. He is known as Gin Ichimaru.

The second one was a dark-skinned man with dark-brown braids. He wears a white, sleeveless coat over a black hakama, white boots, longer gloves, and an orange rope coming from his right shoulder, running across his chest to under his left arm. He also wears a band-like visor over his eyes. With this outfit, he carries his sword on the left side of his waist. His name is Kaname Tōsen.

Finally, the last one was a man with brown hair that was swept back, with a strand hanging down his face. He also wears a long white open robe over a black shihakushō. His name is Sōsuke Aizen, their leader.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of the Espada." Aizen said warmly to them. "I'm sure all of you are well aware by now that we have an intruder. I was able to sense that person's reiatsu and discovered something interesting."

Everyone remained quiet as Aizen continued. "The spiritual energy belonged to neither a Soul Reaper nor Hollow."

Gasp were heard all around. Not Soul Reaper or hollow? Then what were they up against.

"As interesting as this is, I made another discovery." Aizen went on. "Though I feel it best if I showed you." He turned over to his associate, "Kaname, if you will."

Kaname nodded in response and pulled a switch in the wall. Soon, the center of the table opened, displaying an image of Sora running across the desert, which took the Espada by surprise.

"A Human!" Baraggan scoffed, completely uninterested "I expected some kind of army. This is nothing but a little kid."

"What I wanna know is how the hell did a human get all the way into Hueco Mundo?" Nnoitra retorted.

"Lord Aizen" Ulquiorra looked over to Aizen, wondering if he could provide an answer.

"While the situation is very puzzling, there appears to be more to this human." Aizen said, though he sounded more amused than surprised. In fact, they failed to notice a growing smirk on his face. "Can't you sense the raw power emanating from him?"

Espada continued to observe the monitor, wondering why a boy like him could impress their leader.

* * *

"This is taking forever." Sora said as he kept on running and running, yet it appears he was nowhere near the fortress. "Just how far is that place anyways?"

Before Sora could continue further, he suddenly sensed several presences beneath him. With quick reflexes, he jumped out of the way in time to see a dozen large beings popping out of the sand. Each of them varied in appearance, but one thing they did have in common were yellow glowing eyes and most of all, the large white mask they all had on their faces and holes on their bodies.

" **What the hell is a human doing here?"**

" **Another lost soul perhaps."**

" **That can't be it, he doesn't have a chain on him."**

" **Who cares, it's been ages since we Hollows had a meal. Why don't we take turns eating him slowly?"**

" **Yeah"**

"Wait can any of you tell me where I am" Sora asked.

However, his question went ignored as soon the monsters, now known as hollows, all lunged at him. One of the creatures attempted to strike Sora with his claws but he jumped out of the way. Though, he started limping after he landed, finally fatigue from when he regained consciousness. Another hollow nearly slammed their hand on top of him had he not rolled away.

" **Hold still you pest!"**

"Looks like they're not willing to talk." Sora said with an annoyed sigh. "How am I gonna get past them?" Sora looked and saw a gorilla-like Hollow stand over him. As it made to punch him, Sora, seeing that he was surrounded, held out his hands, hoping to stop the impact when suddenly…

 _Slice_

The gorilla hollow's hand was sliced clean off. He roared in pain as everyone looked to see what happen. Much to their surprise, Sora had summoned a giant key shaped sword. This sword looked like a skeleton key with a long silver Keychain extending from the hilt with a mouse token on the end of the Keychain. The blade and teeth are silver, the rainguard is blue, and the guard is bright gold. The teeth of the blade form the outline of a crown which matches the crown charm Sora wears. This sword was known as the Keyblade, specifically the Kingdom Key.

"What the! How did I…" Before Sora could comprehend what happened, the angry hollow lunged for another attack.

"I don't know how I did it but if it helps me then I'm not complaining." With that, Sora charged towards the hollow. Sora first started by slicing off the hollow's right leg and then, with a tremendous leap, he bisected him in half.

The hollow let out one last roar before disintegrating completely. The other hollows were completely speechless over the fact that some mere human managed to kill a hollow. Some of them were trembling and even slowly backed off.

Getting up, Sora raised his head and glared at the other hollows. "So, who's next?"

* * *

The hollows weren't the only ones surprised, the rest of the Espada were all wide-eyed in shock over Sora's victory while Aizen himself looked impressed.

"What the Hell!" Nnoitra shouted, viewing Sora slaying the rest of the hollows. "I thought he was just a normal human. How the hell is he killing those hollows!?"

Aizen cast an eye over to Gin, "Tell me Gin, doesn't that key shaped sword look familiar?"

Gin looked over at the monitor and seeing the key shaped sword in Sora's hands caused his smile to widen, "My, I didn't expect to see one of those crawling around here."

The rest of the Espada looked over at the two. Ulquiorra noticed the way Gin said his words and the look in their leader's eyes that was one of familiarity. "Lord Aizen, do you know that boy and that blade?"

"In order." Aizen replied. "The boy I do not know but I know what he is. Gin and Kaname are also well-aware of this." Well Kaname would know if he could see.

"Well, it's obvious that this strange sword is the source of that boy's power?" Szayelaporro said in glee, wanting to experiment on that boy and his sword. "Would you mind explaining it to us?"

Aizen pondered for a moment, then replied, "When I give the order, gather everyone at the throne room so that I could inform you of that weapon. As for the boy, do not engage him." Aizen got up from his chair, "I will go over and meet him personally."

That caught everyone off guard, even Gin though he quickly composed himself. They never expected their leader to take matters into his own hands.

"I suppose this meeting adjourned. Please return to your quarters and await farther orders."

With that all the Espada began leaving, making sense of this new development. As Aizen prepared to head out, he was stopped by Gin. "That wasn't very nice captain. You shouldn't really lie to your Espadas."

"I never lied when I told them that I do not know him. However, in order to make sure our plans proceed smoothly, some allies have to be kept in the dark." Aizen replied.

"Ah I get it. 'deceive you're allies to deceives your enemies.'" Gin said.

Aizen then continued walking, "If that is all then I must be going. We're about to have a new ally in our midst."

* * *

Sora had killed all but one hollow, who begged for his life. Sora decided not to kill him and instead asked him to give him a lift to that fortress, which he learned was called Las Noches. The serpent-like hollow had advised him not to go there but Sora insisted so the serpent hollow offered to take him there.

Sora soon saw that Las Noches was bigger than he had expected. In fact, it was colossal. The closer he got to it, the bigger it seemed.

" **I'm telling ya kid going there would be suicide."**

"I don't really care. I need to find answers and I have a gut feeling that that place is where I have to go." Sora said.

Before the two could continue further, the hollow suddenly stopped on his tracks. Before Sora could ask, the entire ground started to rise until it formed some giant, humanoid figure, don with a mask on hole on its chest.

" **Oh crap. We're screwed."**

"Who are you!?" Sora shouted.

"I am Runuganga. Guardian of the White Sand." He introduced while looking down on the two. "I am ordered to not let anyone proceed this further into Las Noches."

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Sora declared, however, he soon noticed the serpent hollow slithering away. "Hey, where are you going!?"

" **Sorry kid. I only said I'd get you to Las Noches. You're on your own from here."**

"Well that is one less pest to deal with. Now if you don't decide to follow his example, then you'll die." Runuganga declared.

"Looks like it's the hard way." Sora said as summoned his Keyblade.

As the giant slammed his hand down, Sora quickly dodge it and sliced the hand off. However, the sand giant was not howling in pain. "Impressive strength human, however you will see why you will not win."

Before Sore could react, Runuganga's arm suddenly grow back. "Whoa, how did you do that?"

"I am the embodiment of sand. So long as there is sand I can always regenerate, and there will be nowhere for you to run." Soon, the sand beneath Sora turned into a sink hole. Not wanting to be buried alive, Sora jumped out of the way. However, more and more sink holes began popping up and it was getting harder for Sora to keep dodging.

Runuganga laughed in amusement. "Foolish pest there is no use running. You're about to be buried alive."

" _He's right,"_ Sora thought _, "I can keep running forever. But my attacks won't work cause this guy will just keep growing them back. There's gotta something I could do."_ Suddenly, Sora began experiencing another headache, collapsing on his knees while holding his head.

Confused, Runuganga began laughing in triumph. "Looks like you've reached your limit." He soon bought down his hand. "Now die!"

Suddenly, his hand was soon coated in ice. Roaring in pain, he lifted his hand up and notice Sora pointing his Keyblade at him. From his Keyblade, there was an icy mist coming from it.

"You!" The guardian bellowed. "What sorcery is this!?"

"To be honest, I don't know how I did it." Sora admitted. "But I'm glad I did because I just figured out your weakness." Sora directed his Keyblade at Runuganga's head, an icy aura soon emitting from him and the Keyblade. " _Blizzard!"_

Runuganga screamed in agony as his head and soon his whole body began freezing up from within. Within seconds, the sand Guardian was now a frozen statue.

"Well that should hold him for now." Sora said, lowering his Keyblade. "Hopefully I should get in without much trouble." As he began making his way towards the inside, he couldn't help but ponder something. "Come to think of it how was I able pull off that ice trick. One minute I'm having that headache and next thing I know it just suddenly came into my head, like I knew how to do it."

There were answers he need to find and he knew he wouldn't find them standing here. He proceeded to make his way in but before he could take another step, he suddenly collapsed.

THUD!

"Wh-hat. Wh-what happen?" Sora said losing consciousness. "Why am I so…" With that, the Keyblade wielder was rendered unconscious.

Aizen soon appeared from out of the passage, looking down on the collapsed boy. Before he could grab him, he felt another presence from behind.

"It's not polite to follow someone, Ulquiorra." Sure enough, Ulquiorra also walked out from the passageway.

"Forgive me sir." Ulquiorra replied. "But I had wished to see this boy's power firsthand."

"I see." Aizen said without looking back. "And were impressed."

Ulquiorra quickly looked down at Sora before replying. "At the moment, the boy proves no threat to us. However, there were moments when his energy began fluctuating. When it reached its highest, his power was above my own."

This certainly caught Aizen's attention. This boy's power reached past one of his top Espada. Who knows just how powerful this boy was.

"What are your orders." Ulquiorra asked.

Aizen knelt to grab Sora, carrying him under his arms. "Call for the medics and have his wounds tended to. After he has regained consciousness, I want everyone gathered at the throne room."

"As you wish." Ulquiorra responded as both he and Aizen began heading inside.

Something big was about to happen in Hueco Mundo and Sora would be the center of it.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Well there you have it. This is my first attempt at a Kingdom Hearts X Bleach crossover. I first began playing Kingdom Hearts when the sequel came out in 2005, which prompt me to buy the first game and Chain of Memories. It has quickly become one of my favorite games ever, next to Crash, Spyro, and Mario. I also began watching Bleach when the anime premiered when Toonami came back in 2012. Contrary to what people think, I actually enjoyed the series and it has become one of my top 5 favorite anime/manga.**_

 _ **I will admit that the final chapters had their own faults, but we all have faults as no one is perfect. I still found it to be a bit entertain. I still have hope that the Bleach anime will make its return and hopefully elaborate more on the ending then the manga did. If not then I plan to as I already decided to include the 1000 Year Blood War, but for now I'm focusing on this story.**_

 _ **Anyway, I was inspired to write this story after reading both "Kingdom Hearts: Zanpakuto to the Heart" and "Bleach: Ultimate Alien" both owned by Gakuto1991 and Bigby the Big Bad Wolf. I actually thought of this story a few years back but I've been conflicted in writing this as I don't want to come off as plagiarizing. Fortunately, I've been in contact with Bigby and shared some of my ideas with him. He liked it and it gave me the encouragement to publish this crossover. Some elements may be similar to both stories but I have some ideas to make it more original.**_

 _ **In the meantime, please leave your response.**_


	2. Sōsuke Aizen!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: I had some freetime. So, I hope you enjoy the second chapter. Please note that I don't own Bleach and Kingdom Hearts**_

 _ **Ep. 2: "Sōsuke Aizen! Allience of Deception!"**_

Inside a medical room, lies the unconscious Sora. After stirring for quite a bit, Sora regained consciousness. Looking around, he noticed that he was in an empty circular room, laying on top a medical bed. Seeing that no one was around, he decided to sneak out. Outside, he looked all around him to see nothing but an empty hallway that went down for miles.

" _You are not alone?"_ Sora gasped as he heard the voice.

" _Turn left, go straight down. You shall find the answers you seek."_ Sora looked around to see no one was near. This left him shocked as he wondered who that voice was coming from. Not knowing what to do, Sora decided to do what the voice instructed walked down the corridor. He continued walking for a few minutes until he stumbled upon a double entrance door. Knowing that it would lead somewhere, Sora ran inside and closed it. However, when he entered, he looked around and saw nothing but darkness all around.

"Greeting, young man." Sora gasped as he looked around.

"Who's there?" He asked.

"Look behind you." Turning around, Sora saw a spotlight turn on and soon he saw a high platform. At the top there was a throne, and sitting there was Aizen, looking directly at him.

"You must have all sort questions on your mind." He stated. "First let me introduce myself. My name is Sōsuke Aizen and we all welcome you to Las Noches."

Sora, not wanting to be rude, decided to say his name. "My name is Sora and I want to know…wait did you say we."

"He sure did."

Soon all the lights in the room turned on, revealing Gin, Kaname, the Espada, and all the inhabitants of Las Noches. All of them had their attention directed at Sora. While he was recovering, Ulquiorra showed them the recording of Sora's battle with Runuganga. What also caught their attention was Ulquiorra evaluating Sora's power, saying how it was almost as high as his. Some of them believed this mysterious boy was a threat that needed to be taken care of. Others wanted to know how good he'd be in a fight. A few just simply didn't care while Szayelaporro just fantasied about dissecting him and putting him through experiments.

Sora decided to focus his attention on Aizen. "I know this is sudden but I came here because I need your help. Who am I? Do you know me? Where do I come from?"

This certainly took everyone by surprised. This human didn't know who he was. Some of them now thought he was a clueless idiot while others though he was just faking.

"You mean you don't know? Aizen chose to ask.

"Does it sound like he knows?" Nnoitra said, growing bored.

"Oh please. He appears out of nowhere and remember anything. If you ask me, I say that this brat is faking." Baraggan said. The people behind him nodded in response.

"Now let's not jump to conclusions." Aizen said. "I see no reason in why he would lie, especially with an obvious one." Facing Sora, he asked. "If you truly do not remember anything then is there anything you can remember?"

Sora thought for a second, "I only know my name and that's it." Sora responded honestly. "I don't know how I got here. I'm telling the truth." Aizen looked at the boy's eyes. He could no traces of deception on them. He was telling the truth. "If it's answers you seek then you were smart to come here. I can provide you with some information."

Sora looked closely at Aizen. Could he truly help find some answers. Wasting no time, Aizen began, "First off, you are a Keyblade wielder."

This earned a surprised gasp from Kaname. "Lord Aizen, are you certain?"

"Indeed, I am Kaname." Aizen responded. "Gin can also vouch for that." Looking to Gin, who simply nodded. Sora and the rest of the audience were clueless as to what they were talking about.

"Care to elaborate." Baraggan demanded.

"Yeah, what the hell is a Keyblade wielder." Nnoitra asked.

Aizen decided to fill everyone in. "Before I answer tell me, are you familiar with the worlds that surround the World of the Living."

"You mean the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo." Starrk replied.

"You would think that but you are wrong." Aizen went on. "You see there are many other worlds beside our world, the World of the Living, and Soul Society. However, they'll been a secret because they were never connected until recently."

This certainly surprised everyone. "You mean there are more worlds then our own." Szayelaporro said, excited by the news.

"Wait then that would mean that I'm from another world." Sora realized, to which Aizen nodded.

Nnoitra was about to retort, obviously not believing this, a majority of them didn't, but a glare from Aizen silenced any objections. "I know you are all skeptical on this matter, but it is the truth. The weapon he carries is called a Keyblade. Keyblades are legendary weapons that were crafted from the people of long ago, in the spitting image of another weapon known as the χ-blade. In combat, Keyblades serve no different than swords, fighting in a style that best fits the wielder. Despite having no sharp edges, Keyblades also served as a precise cutting tool. It was a Keyblade wielders responsibility to slay the Heartless, creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts. However, the Heartless feared the Keyblade and as such, Keyblade wielders were at large risk of attracting Heartless. One of the Keyblade's main power was to seal and open barriers between worlds. As well as to "lock" the world's keyhole to prevent the heartless from reaching the world's heart."

Everyone remained silent. Sora decided to summon his Keyblade, catching the rest off-guard, as they never saw it this close. "This is a Keyblade." Aizen nodded in response. "But how did I even get this?"

"I'm afraid you are mistaken." Aizen said, causing Sora to look at him. "The wielder doesn't chose their Keyblade. The Keyblade instead chooses the wielder. And it chose you."

This was certainly interesting. What was on everyone's mind was why a blade that powerful would chose a kid. Sora however, stared at his Keyblade. " _So, is it true? Am I one of these Keyblade Wielders?"_ He couldn't help but wonder.

"You seem to know a lot about these ancient warriors." Baraggan speculated.

"Will you see I didn't become aware of them until I was promoted to captain." Aizen responded. "Gin and Kaname were also informed about this." He said and his two subordinates nodded in response. "And the person who informed us of them was none other then the Head-Captain himself."

"The Head-Captain?" Sora asked in wonder.

"Yes." Aizen replied. "From what I have gathered, long ago a mysterious Keyblade wielder became involved in a war that occurred in the Soul Society a thousand years ago. That person not only drove the enemy back but also created the barrier that surrounds the Seireitei, the center of the Soul Society. It was there that the Head-Captain decided to inform all future captains on the knowledge of the Keyblade, feeling that there may come a time where the Keyblade was needed again."

"Lord Aizen, why were we not made aware of this earlier?" Asked a dark-skinned man with a spike mohawk.

"I did not inform anyone because I felt this knowledge would be irrelevant to our upcoming war." Aizen replied.

"Lord Aizen, I noticed you mentioned these Keyblade wielders in past tense." Ulquiorra pointed out.

"The reason is because the Keyblade wielders are no more." Aizen said that shocked everyone. Noticing their expression, he decided to continue, "Nearly a century ago, when the World was whole and full of light, people desired the power of Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds that was protected by its counterpart: the χ-blade. However, many sides clashed over who would get the χ-blade, causing a massive war that consumed everything in darkness. It resulted in the ancient weapon shattering into twenty pieces; seven of pure light and thirteen of pure darkness, and the "true" Kingdom Hearts disappeared into the darkness."

"What happened after the war?" Sora asked.

"The light within the hearts of children kept the darkness at bay yet separated the worlds from each other. The outcome of the Great Keyblade War resulted in the near extinction of the Keyblade wielders. The remaining Keyblade wielders that survived resolved to protect the World from further destruction, thus becoming guardians of the World order." Aizen finished. "That is all I can answer for you. As for how you lost your memory, I'm afraid that I cannot help you with that."

"It's okay." Sora reassured. "I think that was helpful enough. I just wish I knew what to do?"

Aizen smiled slightly. "I'm glad you feel that way. Because I have a proposition for you if you don't mind."

Sora looked up at Aizen, wanting to know what he had in mind. "As I mentioned earlier, we are about to go to war against a group of people known as the Soul Reapers. However, I feel it would be best to educate you on the aspects of our world."

"In this world, there are two types of souls: First there are the Plus, they are the most common souls you will see in the World of the Living. And then there are the Hollows, they are the group of creatures that attacked you earlier." Aizen explained as Sora listened carefully.

"You can say that Hollows are similar to the Heartless, as they are corrupted spirits that act solely on pure instinct." Sora looked around to some of the audience members. Was it his imagination or did those mask fragments look like Hollow masks. Before he could ask about this, Aizen raised a finger to stop him.

"You seemed to have notice the mask fragments are similar to Hollows," Aizen said which shocked Sora, wondering if he could read minds. "The group you see around you are known as Arrancar, Hollows that have torn off their masks and received Soul Reaper like powers." Well that explained what these people were.

Aizen went on, "Now Sora, as for the war I mentioned, you see there are two jobs Soul Reapers have; first is to guide souls to Soul Society, you could call it the after-life. Another is to extinguish Hollows. But, over the years, the Soul Society has fallen into corruption, far from the sublime after-life Humans dream of. There are the poor and weak that struggle to live in their pathetic conditions while the powerful and elite live a life of luxury, looking down upon those they feel beneath them."

Sora's eyes widened, shocked by this horrible revelation.

"Soul Society's government and leaders have also become corrupted. They are nothing more than narrow-minded fools that will go to extreme lengths to uphold their centuries old traditions regardless of practicality or morality," Aizen said with a hint of disgust.

"In the end, the Soul Society does not care about saving souls," Aizen finished with a desolate tone. "As a result, numerous souls are ignored, which increases the likelihood of becoming Hollows and are slayed callously by the Soul Reapers."

Aizen's expression then changed to a determined one. "I could not stand by and allow this to continue. So Kaname, Gin, and I defected from the Soul Society and made our way to Hueco Mundo, where I plan to help these souls by turning them into Arrancar. Together, we built the fortress known as Las Noches and plan to overthrow the Soul Society and change the world's order.

As Sora crossed his arms, he thought of the situation he may be getting himself into. Aizen looked at Sora, almost imploringly. "Sora one thing you should know is that as a Keyblade wielder, you are not to meddle in the affairs of other worlds unless the Heartless are involved in the matter. However, I believe your arrival here was no accident. Your Keyblade must have heard the cries from the world's heart and guided you to where you needed to be."

"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade," Aizen announced, "Will you be the key in ending this war to end the Soul Society's corrupted ways?"

Sora contemplated the situation he was in. At this moment, he had no clue about himself or his past life, so traveling to the World of the Living would be pointless. He'd just be wandering around aimlessly. But, one thing came to mind, he hated the thought of corruption and anguish going on and couldn't abandon people who are in need. He couldn't explain it but it was just something that felt natural to him.

However, there was Aizen. He seemed so charming and charismatic, however, there was something about him that was mysterious. As if there's more to him then what he appears to be. In any case, Sora made up his mind.

"Alright," Sora finally said. "I don't know what's going on but I'll help you in any way I can."

Aizen smiled at the response. "Thank you, Sora. I do appreciate your response." He got up from his throne. "Since you will be staying with us, let me be the one to introduce you to my forces." He looked back over at Gin and Tosen. "These two are Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen. They are the two other Soul Reapers who defected from the Soul Society with me."

"Nice to meet'cha, Sora-boy," Gin said, causing Sora to frown at being called boy, yet at the same time, made him feel like a snake was eyeing him. " I can tell you're gonna liven things up around here."

"Greetings, Young Sora," Tosen said. "I am honored to fight along someone who fights for the peace of the Worlds' order."

"The honor is mine." Sora said rubbing his head awkwardly.

"Now, the Arrancars you see before you are known as the Espada." Aizen said, "The ones behind them are their Fracciónes. The Espada are ten of my most powerful Arrancars in all of Las Noches. My dear Espada, would you stand and introduce yourselves to our new guest."

Yammy was the first to stand and Sora didn't even need to be two inches next to him to tell how huge this guy is. Yammy smirked down at him. "Yammy Riyalgo, Espada Number 10, Nice to meet'cha."

The next person to stand had a rather bizarre appearance. He couldn't see this person's face as it was concealed behind an elongated, white mask covered with eight holes. This person wore a dress garb that covers the entire body as opposed to the normal jacket and hakama he saw some of the Arrancar wearing. There was also a frilly nobles' coat that acts as this person's replacement jacket and a single white gentleman's glove.

" **We are Espada Number 9, Aaroniero Arruerie** ," The person said in a deep masculine voice. Next thing he knew, the voice suddenly change into a high pitched, feminine voice. " _Pleasure to meet you, Sora_."

Sora stood there, dumbfounded. Was it him or did Aaroniero have two voices. Now he really wanted to know what was under that helmet. Meanwhile, Szayelaporro was the next person to stand, where he bowed all dramatically.

"I am Espada Number 8, Szayelaporro Granz." He gave Sora an intensely lewd smile that kinda freaked him out. "I am truly delighted to meet you."

"Oh, well…great to meet you to" a creeped-out Sora said. "I guess?" he muttered.

Szayelaporro took his seat for the next Espada to introduce himself, with an intense gaze that never left his face. He is a tall, muscular, dark-skinned Arrancar with noticeably large lips. The remnants of his Hollow mask consisted of a row of bony spikes along the crest of his head, forming a Mohawk of sorts, along with two skull-shaped earrings and a thick bony necklace. He was also bald and has golden yellow eyes. He wore a long mandarin-style Arrancar jacket with a small opening at his chest area. He wears a default hakama like all other Arrancar, although his sandals resemble traditional martial arts training shoes. There were also three triangle-shaped tattoos on his chin. He also has four lines running down from his forehead directly above his eyes that end.

"I am Espada Number 7, Zommari Rureaux," The man, named Zommari, informed Sore in a deep voice. "Be honored, Sora, to be allowed to work alongside Lord Aizen."

The next Arrancar was tall, muscular man with light blue spiky hair and light blue eyes, with green lines below them. His attire consisted of a white hakama, a black sash and a ragged white jacket with an upturned collar. The inner lining of his jacket is black and he wore it with the sleeves rolled up and left his jacket open, exposing his bare-muscular chest. The remains of his Hollow mask consist of the right jawbone and his Hollow hole is located on his abdomen.

He gave Sora a sinister, predatory grin that caused all warning alarms in Sora's head to ring at full blast. As if telling him to avoid this guy at all cause.

"The names Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez, Espada Number 6," Grimmjow said, his grin continuously growing. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can do with that over-sized key of yours."

Nnoitra was up next. "Nnoitra Gilga," He stuck out his tongue which revealed a big black number 5 tattooed on it. This obviously signified his rank. "Espada Number 5. Don't think that Grimmjow is the only one anxious to see what you can do."

As if Grimmjow wasn't bad enough. Now he may have to deal with two of them. Of course, Sora made sure not to show that frustration.

Ulquiorra stood up next. "I am Ulquiorra Cifer, Espada Number 4." And that was all he had to say before moving on. Sora could tell he wasn't the sociable type.

That next person was a female…a beautiful one at that. She was tall, with dark skin, yellow blonde hair, aqua eyes, and thick eyebrows. She wore a variation of the Arrancar jacket with a high collar that covered the lower part of her face downward, while baring a good portion of the lower half of her large breasts, not that Sora was paying any attention to them. The jacket has a zipper running along its entire length, which is opened from the bottom upwards and the sleeves completely covered her arms, which she currently crossed underneath her chest, along with wearing black glove-like extensions. Other than that, the base of her uniform was the same as the other Arrancars.

"Greetings, Young Sora," The woman said formally. "I am Espada Number 3, Tier Halibel."

Sora gave her a small smile and waved at her. "Nice to meet you!" With a nod, Halibel took her seat. As she did, Sora suddenly noticed three female Arrancar standing behind her. He assumed that they were those Fracciónes that he heard of. Two of them merely glared at him while the other reminded neutral, though she did eye him as well.

Next came Baraggan, who examined Sora though he looked very unimpressed. "Baraggan Louisenbarn." And then he sat back down where Sora noticed the biggest group of Arrancar standing behind him. They must be his Fracciónes. Sora realized that he hadn't revealed his rank though it was obvious that he was Espada Number 2. He guessed that he probably wasn't very happy of his ranking.

And finally, it was Starrk turn. "Yo," he said tiredly. "Espada Number 1, Coyote Starrk. Sorry but I'm a little tired right now." And then, before he could sit down, a little girl Arrancar with green hair and a horned helmet bopped him in the back of the head.

"Now that you have been introduced to the Espada," Aizen said. "I would like for you to work alongside one of them so that they could help you to better understand our world." Aizen even smiled, "I'll even let you choose."

Sora looked over to see The Espada's reaction to this, all of which had varied. Szayelaporro looked absolutely thrilled, both Grimmjow and Nnoitra had sadistic smirks on their faces, Baraggan looked ready to explode if Sora picked him, it was hard to tell Aaroniero's expression due to his mask, Yammy looked uninterested, and Starrk, Harribel, Ulquiorra, and Zommari all had neutral expressions.

As Sora weighed his options, he had already decided to scratch off Espada's 10, 9, 8, 6, 5, and 2. After dwelling on it some more, he decided to also cross off 7 and 4 as well. Both of them looked like the anti-social type, which made them incompatible. He figured that it would be best for him to team up with Espada's such as Halibel and Starrk. After all, those two seemed to have some manners and were at least nice to him. After looking at Halibel's corner, he realized that Halibel's Fracciónes were all females. Being the only male in that group would just be weird, so there was only one choice Sora had.

"I pick you." Sora said pointing at Starrk.

This certainly caught Starrk and the little girl off guard. "Me!" Starrk spat out at the same time the girl said "Him!"

"Are you sure Sora?" Aizen asked, to which he nodded. "Well then, Starrk congratulations. Sora will be under your supervision."

Starrk sighed and scratched his head. "Yeah sure."

Sora could see Szayelaporro deflated in disappointment while Nnoitra and Grimmjow just scowled. Sora didn't mind them though, after all, another reason he decided to choose Starrk was because he wanted to see what it was gonna be like spending time with the first Espada, which also made him the most powerful Arrancar in all of Las Noches. It seemed pretty cool to him.

"Now," Aizen said. "That is all for today everyone. Please return to your chambers until further notice."

With that, the Espada and Fracciónes began to disperse, although many of them sent passing glances at Sora as they walked out.

Soon, the only people left were Sora, Aizen, Kaname, Gin, Starrk, and the little girl Arrancar. Her outfit consists of white-colored briefs with a black line positioned in the middle, arm-warmers, a revealing vest with a high collar and thigh-high, fur-lined boots. Her Hollow hole is positioned in the center of her stomach. The remainder of her Hollow mask is the form of a helmet, with two horns on the top of her head. The left horn looks as if it has been cut off and the left half of the mask covers her left eye. Her right eye is light pink and she also has light green hair arranged in a very basic manner.

She walked up and began examining Sora, "So you're gonna be sticking with us for a while." Sora nodded and the girl then gave a big grin. "Well then, the name's Lilynette Gingerbuck. Nice to meet ya."

Sora gave a grin of his own. "Likewise."

Starrk sighed as he rubbed his head. "Come on. Let's go."

"What's with that attitude?!" Lilynette snapped, suddenly kicking Starrk in the rear, shocking Sora. "Someone just chose to work under you so try to show a little gratitude and make yourself look good, you lazy ass!"

"Ow! Ow! Enough, already! I Get it!" Starrk snapped.

This little comedic routine certainly baffled the Keybearer. Of course, he was more surprised to see Starrk letting Lilynette kick him around like that.

With that done, Starrk got up as Lilynette began backing off. "Come on. Now it's time to head back!" She turned, already heading off.

"I'm coming," Starrk mumbled, following her.

Sora began following them in silence, already starting to wonder if he should've chosen to be assigned under Halibel's supervision after all.

* * *

Now it was just Gin and Aizen. Kaname had left earlier to the surveillance room. Gin turned toward Aizen. "Looks like he bought all that hook, line, and sinker." he complimented. "Gotta say captain, you're still a great an actor as ever."

"I hardly needed to act, Gin." Aizen said, his demeanor suddenly changing into a more smug and aloof one. "I never lied when I told Sora about the corruption of the Soul Society."

"And yet you conveniently left out our own little involvements." Gin pointed out.

"Sora doesn't need to know that." Aizen said with confidence. "He only needs to know what will make him the most useful to me."

"So, I'm guessing the memory wipe was all part of the plan to?" Gin asked.

"Unfortunately, no." Aizen admitted, "I was honest when I told him I couldn't help him with that. It appears memory loss was a small misstep in my calculation. I assume it was a side-effect from over using the power of waking."

"But it did make things easier for you." Gin pointed out. Unable to hide his curiosity, Gin couldn't help but ask, "You're not worried of what will happen if Sora-boy's memories come back or if he finds out the truth? Or our other guest?"

Aizen chuckled. "Sora is a unique and gifted individual. However, if he were to turn against me, then I shall deal with him accordingly."

However, there was something on his mind at that moment. True Sora was powerful, but he expected more power from him than what he displayed. After all, he had difficulty in beating Runuganga. He came to an assumption that perhaps Sora's lost memories were hindering his abilities, which prevented Sora from unleashing his full potential. If that was the case then there was not telling how strong Sora would be if his memories came back. So, the traitorous Soul Reaper decided on a way to help Sora with his memory restoration while at the same time making sure that Sora will remain at his side.

Permanently!

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Another chapter finished. I want to say that having the captains of the 13 Court Guard Squad know about the Keyblade and other worlds was something I already had in mind when developing this story. I mean if a powerful figure like King Triton was aware of the other worlds then I'm sure they know to.**_

 _ **Now as for how Sora ended up in Hueco Mundo, I'll reveal later, later on as the story goes on. I plan to focus on some of Sora developing a close friendship with Starrk and Lilynette, a bond similar to what the Organization trio shared. There will also be moments where Sora forges bonds with Halibel and her Fracciónes, and also with Tōsen. It'll help me with the battles I have planned for the Fake Karakura Town arc.**_

 _ **Also let me say two things. One is that I'm going off from the English Dub of the Bleach anime. So, don't expect me to include any Japanese suffix in this story. Another is that there won't be any cross pairings in this story. So, Sora will NOT be paired with Halibel nor any other Bleach girl. I might pair him with Kairi later on but so far, I haven't decided anything on that.**_

 _ **Let me just point out that the events of this story take place a week before Ulquiorra and Yammy invade Karakura Town. As for Kingdom Hearts III, it takes place the moment Sora leaves to find Kairi but before the final scene.**_

 _ **Anyway, please leave a review!**_


	3. Missions!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Here's the third chapter. Please note that I don't own Bleach and Kingdom Hearts**_

 _ **Ep. 3: "Missions! Sora vs Nnoitra!"**_

"What! Sora is missing!"

That has been the latest news currently going across the Keyblade wielders heads. A little over a week ago, Sora had used the Power of Waking once more to find Kairi and bring her home, and he has not returned since then. Riku and Mickey went to Yen Sid to see if he had any idea on where Sora had disappeared to, only to find out that the old sorcerer had no clue either. After a week had passed, he ordered all the Keyblade wielders to gather at the Mysterious Towers for briefing.

They did so and now everyone present were all informed of Sora sudden disappearance.

"Master Yen Sid, have you been able to find Sora?" A tall, young man with blue eyes asked. He has brown hair that reaches his neck, spiked up in the back with bangs that frame his face. He wears a skintight, black, high-collared shirt with two red intersecting straps over his chest, a golden heart-shaped sigil on his belt tied and a tan hakama that is dark grey near the top, with several loops for his belt and two undone buttons and a small, lighter stripe of tan on the bottom hem, a plain black wristband on his right arm while his left arm is significantly more armored, with a large gold, ornate crest and a long dark grey and dark red segmented section that reaches to his hand. He also wears a black, fingerless glove on his hand and a black gauntlet on his forearm, which also has small pieces of dark red armor on it. Finally, his armored boots are dark brown and gold. His name is Terra, a former apprentice of Master Eraqus.

"I'm afraid my attempts to determine Sora and Kairi whereabouts have ended...questionably." Said a rather severe-looking old man. He had long, grey hair, bushy eyebrows, and a long, grey beard that parted down the middle. He wore a conical sorcerer's hat on his head. The hat is blue and decorated with several yellow stars and a yellow crescent moon. He wore long, billowing blue robes with sky blue lining. The insides of his robes were dark red. The whites of his eyes were quite large in comparison to his small pupils, something that is further highlighted by the fact that his eyes were often wide open. He is Master Yen Sid, a retired Keyblade Master, renowned for his wisdom and command over the magic arts.

"This does sound bad." Said a girl with a tall and slender figure with blue eyes and medium-length blue hair. She wears a black and navy blue, high-collared halter top, a black corset with two pairs of white laces and black shorts. She has two pink straps intersecting over her chest, with a silver heart-shaped sigil over the intersection. On her arms are white bell-sleeves and tan, fingerless gloves, with small, segmented piece of armor on each of her upper arms. She wears black stockings reaching halfway to her thighs, and two strips of blue cloth that draped over her hips with a smaller, white strip of cloth tied around her waist and draped down. Her silver boots are pointed and armored, with a sharp "hook" on the outer side of each. She is Aqua, a Keyblade Master and another of Eraqus' former apprentice.

Aqua turned her attention to the silver-haired boy. He wears a black, hooded jacket with short sleeves, gold buttons, and a checkered pattern at the hem. Underneath, he wears white shirt with a V-neck. He wears blue cropped trousers that are hemmed with the same checkered pattern as the jacket, black glovelettes on each hand, and black high-top boots. His name is Riku, a Keyblade Master and Sora's best friends.

"Riku, have you had any luck finding them?" Aqua asked. Riku looked down before replying. "I'm afraid I've also reached dead ends. Since he left his gummiphone, there's no way to contact him. After a day, I decided to search the Destiny Islands and Twilight Town to see if I could get any leads. But so far I haven't been able to find a trace of him or Kairi."

"Well, he did use the power of waking to find Kairi. Maybe it took Sora to where Kairi ended up after Xehanort..." A blonde spiky-haired boy assumed. He wears a black, high-collared jacket with an upside down heart-shaped zipper underneath a white, unzipped jacket with a red pleated collar, several black block designs and a grey hem on the end of each sleeve. He also wore two-colored pants; the legs of his pants were beige with several buttons on the hem attached the legs to the rest of the cloth, which were dark-colored. His shoes were colored in shades of grey and black, and had red straps in place of laces. Finally, He wore a wrist band with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern on his left wrist, as well as a plain black ring on his left index finger and a plain white ring on his left middle finger. He is Roxas, a former Nobody of Sora who had now become his own person.

"But didn't Mickey say if Sora used it then his heart would be lost forever." A boy who looked identical to Roxas said nervously. His clothing however, consist of a Jacket that is white and black on either side. Underneath this, he wears what appears to be a grey vest with a single button and several white, angular patterns on it, and a plain, high-necked, black shirt underneath. He also has a chunk of dull green and grey armor on his midsection under his vest, and another piece of armor on his left shoulder. His pants balloon outward slightly before closing up about halfway down his legs and colored in shades of grey, black, and white. He also wears an ornate, dull green and grey piece of armor on his upper-left arm, along with a black and white checkered wristband with white edges. Like Aqua, he wears two criss-crossing straps on his chest with a heart-shaped sigil at the center. His boots are armored in dull green and grey. His name is Ventus, though he prefers to be called Ven. Like Terra and Aqua, he was also an apprentice to Master Eraqus. "You don't think that Sora..."

"No, he couldn't have." Said a little girl with short, dark hair and bright blue eyes. She wears a sleeveless double buttoned, collared shirt and a black belt, with a short white skirt under the shirt and black boots that reach halfway to her knees with a beige color to the upper fifth. She is Xion, an imperfect replica of Roxas who had also become her own person. "I can feel it. Sora is still out there somewhere. And so is Kairi." Xion declared. "There hearts haven't been lost."

"How do you know?" Asked Roxas.

"I just do." She replied.

"Then where could they be?" Riku asked, but Xion could not give an answer. None of them could. The atmosphere became dreary, as everybody was deeply troubled by this turn of event.

"Aww, I don't see what the big deal is. I'm sure that guy's just fine." A man said confidently, hoping to bring everybody's spirits up. His attire consisted of a long sleeveless hooded black vest, a sleeveless dark gray and red plaid button-down shirt with a short-sleeve black shirt underneath, and black pants and black mid-calf boots. His name was Lea, formally known as the Organization Member, Axel, and another Keyblade wielder.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, while Aqua frowned. "This is a serious matter, Lea." The blue-haired girl berated him. "Can you see how everyone else feels?"

"I know that." Lea retorted. "But staying here and moping isn't gonna do anything. Besides, you guys know how tough Sora is. If he's in danger, he'll find a way out of it."

Riku nodded. "Lea does have a point. And one thing I know about Sora is that he always keeps his promise."

"You're right." Ven agreed. "And if he went after Kairi, then chances are they're together already."

"However, rather then just stay here and feeling worried about Sora and Kairi, we should at least use all that time to try and find him." Terra advised Everyone.

Aqua agreed. "You're right. Sora's always been there for us when it mattered. If he's in any kind of trouble, then we'll be the ones to get him and Kairi out of it. After all, our hearts are all connected to him."

"Then you best follow that connection." Yen Sid said. "If you trust the guidance your hearts give, then I know you will find Sora and Kairi."

"Then we better start now." Riku said. "We don't know what could be happening to them."

"But still, we don't even know where he could be." Roxas pointed out.

"But we have to do something!" Argued an anthropomorphic duck. He had white plumage, a yellow-orange bill and legs, light blue eyes, and a short tuft of feathers on his head. He had a blue beret with a belt in place of a normal brim, and sported a zipper that spanned the length of the hat. His high-collared jacket was navy blue with sky blue lining and cuffs, three pouches, all of which were blue with yellow lining, along the middle of the jacket; the center pouch was secured by a flap, while the other two used silver zippers. The middle pouch was framed by two other silver zippers that spanned the entire length of the jacket, from the top of the collar to the bottom. He had a short, blue cape with yellow lining that he wore, which draped over his shoulders, kept in place by a silver strap. He also wore a thick, gold bangle on each of his wrists. His name was Donald Duck, the Royal Magician of Disney Castle and the royal assistant for King Mickey.

"That's right. After all, Sora would do the same if it were us." An anthropomorphic dog agreed. He had black fur and droopy ears, along with two bucked teeth and three short hairs on his head. He wore an orange hat, the top resembling a teardrop placed on its side and a small pair of red goggles around the bottom. He wore a green turtleneck sweater with sleeves that belled out slightly and a blue arrow-shaped strap on each cuff, white gloves with a brown band around each wrist. Over the sweater, he wore a sleeveless, black combat vest with grey lining and four pockets of the same color. His pants were yellow and secured by a thick, black belt, and had large pockets, and a pouch on each leg with a silver zipper. The legs of his pants had a peculiar style, with the bottom rims being pulled upward in the front by a brown strap. He also had very large shoes which were brown with steel toes on the outside. He was Goofy, the Captain of the Royal Knights of King Mickey's court.

One person smiled at his friends. He was an anthropomorphic mouse with black fur, round ears of the same color, and a thin, long, black tail. He wore a black, hooded jacket that was unzipped, with short sleeves, silver buttons, and a checkered pattern at the hem. Underneath, he wears a grey shirt with a V-neck. He also wears red cropped trousers that are hemmed with the same checkered pattern as the jacket and yellow and grey shoes. He was known as Mickey Mouse, the King of Disney Castle and Keyblade Master, formally Yen Sid's apprentice.

"Your right, fellas." Mickey said. "We can't give up on Sora and Kairi without having tried to look for them." He then turned to his old Master, hoping for some answers. "Master Yen Sid?"

Everyone looked at the oldest master, who was sitting in his chair with eyes closed and arms folded, thinking. After a moment of silence, Yen Sid opened his eyes and said. "For now, the rest of you must divide and search the worlds for Sora and Kairi. Meanwhile, Mickey and I shall remain here and conduct research ourselves." Yen Sid said.

Mickey nodded as he looked at the others. "If we find any leads to Sora's whereabouts, we'll let you know. You should do the same if you find anything."

"We should also contact Radiant Garden." Riku proposed. "I'm sure Ienzo and Ansem the Wise can help us with the search."

"We'll also need to see if they have completed the Replica for Naminé." Xion said.

"What about Saïx...I mean Isa." Roxas asked.

Lea's shoulders slumped as he said, "Who knows. I called Radiant Garden and Ienzo said that he hasn't seen him anywhere. Dilan and Aeleus have been searching the town but haven't found anything."

"I'm sure they'll find him." Ven assured. "He'll turn up when he wants to."

The red-haired male smile and nodded. "You're right. That's just how Captain Boredom always rolled."

"Well, then we better move out now." Terra said.

"Of course." Aqua agreed. "We should start searching the worlds Sora has been to and find the connection there."

"With all of us working, I'm sure to get the job done." Ven declared, with that the Wayfinder trio left.

"Then we better get going." Riku said. "I'll head to Radiant Garden and let the others know the situation." He turned to Roxas, Xion, and Lea. "Try searching Twilight Town and the worlds Sora's been to on his recent journey. If you haven't found anything, then we'll meet back at the Radiant Garden."

Roxas nodded. "Alright. Just be careful out there."

"Good luck Riku." Xion said.

"Don't be a stranger." Lea said as the Sea-Salt trio left the tower.

"Donald, Goofy, you two should stay with us. We can use all the help we can get" Mickey said.

"Yes, your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy shouted in unison, both of them eager to find their irreplaceable companion and best friend.

Once Riku left the room, Mickey said. "Master Yen Sid, do you think that Sora's disappearance had to do with Xehanort?"

The old sorcerer shook her head. "No. Xehanort willingly accepted his defeat. There would have been no reason for him to make one last attempt at vengeance." However, Yen Sid narrowed his eyes as he said. "However, Xehanort actions in using the χ-blade to open Kingdom Hearts were not left without consequences. Perhaps we may be facing the repercussions."

"Garwsh, does that mean someone else could have taken Sora and Kairi?" Goofy asked.

"But who would want to take Sora." Donald questioned.

"I am not sure. Which is why we must gird ourselves in the likely chance of a confrontation." Yen Sid advised, the Disney Trio wondering what kind of potential foe would they soon be facing.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, it has been almost three days since Sora arrived in Hueco Mundo. For the most part, Sora had experienced one thing and that was boredom. After leaving the throne room, Sora followed Starrk and Lilynette to their room. Though the correct term would be palace, as Sora learned that each Espada received their own palace. Sora obviously saw that Las Noches was like a labyrinth, with the place being so big and the many corridors that surrounded it, it could be easy to get lost.

Sora asked if there was any map or directory in this place but Lilynette said that they just knew their way around. When they arrived at Starrk's quarters, Sora saw the only thing in this room were nothing but throw pillows bundled together. Immediately afterwards, Starrk just fell asleep, much to Sora's shock and Lilynette's annoyance. Of course, sleep wasn't an issue as Sora started feeling a bit tired to, especially after the day he had.

For the past few days, Sora has gone to the medical ward for a checkup. So far, his body had no physical injuries and that he was low on stamina, though they advised him to rest for a few days. For the most part though, all Starrk did was just sleep around the entire day. Sora was okay for sleeping but even he felt like doing something but Lilynette pointed out that there's not much to do in Hueco Mundo. So far, these past few days were boring and Sora wished something would happen.

His prayers would soon be answered as Kaname Tōsen soon entered their room.

"Tōsen." Starrk said, wondering of his sudden appearance.

"What's going on?" Lilynette asked.

"Lord Aizen has requested to see the three of you." Tōsen informed. This surprised everyone, especially the young Keyblade wielder. " _Wonder what Aizen wants from us?_ "

Starrk sighed, knowing he didn't really have a choice. "Alright, let's go you two."

Lilynette just glared at him for ordering her around but followed nonetheless. Sora was also behind their trail.

* * *

"It's a pleasure to see you again Sora." Aizen said from on top his thrown. "Tell me how has your stay been in Las Noches so far?"

Sora just shrugged, "Well aside from doing nothing but sleeping, things have been going okay."

Aizen just chuckled, "Well then, now that you have been adjusted to Las Noches, I have a mission for you."

"Which is?" Sora asked.

"There have been a group of rogue Hollows that are rampaging around the area outside of Las Noches." Aizen informed. "I fear that this might drive away any potential recruits, so I would like for you to quell them."

Sora nodded, "Sure, I'll handle it."

Having been standing around, Starrk decided to ask, "So what do you need from us, Lord Aizen?"

"I'm glad you asked Starrk." Aizen said. "I would like for you and Lilynette to accompany Sora on this mission."

The two Arrancar in question were surprised by this. Before they could ask, Aizen continued, "I'd like you to monitor Sora's progress. Now that he has recovered, I'm sure his skills will be more effective on this mission. I would also like for you to educate him about the aspects of our world and teach him the fundamentals of Hollows. And report back to me when you are finished."

Starrk sighed, acting like he was asked to move a mountain. Even so, he decided to do what he was told. "Sure thing."

"Well then, I guess we'll be going now." Sora said.

Aizen's smile widen as he replied. "I'm glad you accepted this mission again Sora. Now, before you leave, I have something to say." Sora listened. "Since you will be fighting the Soul Reapers, I believe it would be best to inform you of how they fight. So, I will be having Kaname train you."

"Really?" Sora said, surprised.

Aizen nodded, "Soul Reaper have a variety of abilities, which I will have Kaname explain to you. Of course, given your tenacity, I'm sure you'll be prepared after gaining an understanding of them."

"Hopefully," Sora said.

"Your training will begin in due time." Aizen said. "I will send Kaname for you when it begins. Now then, that is all I have to say." With that everyone left the throne room.

* * *

After thirty minutes, the trio arrived at the exit of Las Noches.

"So, do you guys know how to find those Hollows?" Sora asked.

"I felt their spiritual pressure." Starrk replied. "They should be about a few miles north from here."

"Guess we'll have to speed things up" Lilynette said, grinning.

"What do you…" Before Sora could finish, Lilynette grab him and soon everything began passing by in a huge blur. The speed was so intense, Sora could barely keep his eyes open.

Suddenly, the blur stopped as Sora fill flat on the ground, gasping for air. "Wh-what…what did you do?" Sora asked, regaining his composure.

"Geez Lilynette," Starrk soon followed, looking annoyed. "Give me a warning when you're going to use _Sonido_."

"Shut up. I could tell you were about to use it to." Lilynette then looked at Sora sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Got a little carried away with my Sonido."

"Sonido?" Sora asked, getting up.

"Oh, right you don't know." Starrk decided to fill him in on somethings about Arrancar. "Sonido is a high-speed maneuver technique Arrancar can use."

"It's what we use to get around faster." Lilynette pointed out.

So, high-speed maneuver was a basic feature for Arrancar. Sora couldn't help but wonder what else Arrancar could do.

"Doesn't seem like there's anything out here." Sora said.

"Hollows usually attack at random so it might be awhile before we see anything." Lilynette said.

"In that case, we'll just have to sit here and wait." Starrk said, sitting on a conveniently place rock. "Hopefully I could catch up on some sleep."

Lilynette glared at Starrk before sighing. "Don't mind Starrk. He can't help being a lazy bum."

"Yeah. When I heard he was the first Espada, this wasn't what I was expecting." Sora admitted.

"Let me guess, you thought the first Espada would be a fighting loving maniac like Nnoitra. Or an overly serious jerk like Ulquiorra." Starrk surmise.

"Well I didn't expect you to be well lazy." Sora said, awkwardly.

"He is lazy but he does deserve the title of first Espada." Lilynette pointed out. "By the way, what can you do with that Keyblade of yours?"

"I told you before Lilynette, I don't remember." Sora said.

"Really." She said, eyeing the spiky-haired boy. "It's been a few days now and you still don't remember anything."

"Give it a rest Lilynette." Starrk half-heartily snapped at her. "You know how amnesia works. His memories will come back on their own. Besides, it's getting annoying with you constantly asking him if he remembers anything"

"Shut up, you lazy ass." Lilynette said as she drop-kicked Starrk off the rock. "I'll tell you what's annoying, watching you sleep for an entire day instead doing something to impress the new guy." She said as she proceeded to jump on him like a trampoline while Starrk protested.

Sora certainly raised an eyebrow at this; the most powerful Espada was letting himself get kicked around by a little girl. While he knows better to judge by appearance, he still can't help but wonder if Starrk did to earn his rank.

After Lilynette was done, she jumped off Starrk and landed in front of Sora, giving him scrutinizing glaze that made him uncomfortable.

"Uhh…" Sora said awkwardly, "What?"

"I've been wondering this for a while now but how are you able to see us?" Lilynette said, narrowing her eye.

This confused Sora, "With my eyes."

"Not like that." Lilynette snapped. "You see, Humans can't see spirit beings like us because they have low spiritual energy. But I'm wondering how is it that you're able to see us."

Sora wanted to retort, but realized that she had a point. If spiritual beings like them were invisible to humans, then why could he see them.

"Maybe it's because he's from another world." Starrk said from the ground. "Lord Aizen said that each world had their own set of rules. So maybe this world allows him to see spirits like us."

Lilynette just glared. "Oh, what do you know?"

"Nothing." A nonchalant Starrk said. "I don't have all the answer. You want better ones, go see Lord Aizen. He knows more about these things."

Both Lilynette could retort, Starrk abruptly got up, narrowing his eyes. "They're here."

Suddenly, much like his first day in Hueco Mundo, four larger Hollows rose from the sand. Pretty soon they began to surround the whole group.

"Are they the Hollows?" Sora asked.

"Yeah" Starrk replied. "By the looks of this, I'd say they're Adjuchas."

"You mean the Menos Grande?" Lilynette asked.

"What are those?" Sora asked.

"Menos are a group of Hollows that are made up of hundreds of normal Hollows," Starrk explained. "There are three categories of Menos."

"First there're the Gillians." Lilynette took over. "They're the first level of Menos, but they're the weakest of the group. You could call them foot soldiers."

"The ones you see here are Adjuchas," Starrk said. "They're smaller than a Gillian and fewer in numbers. Though you can consider them more dangerous than them."

"And finally, there are the Vasto Lorde" Lilynette finished up, "It's the highest level of the Menos, yet there are so few of them, you'd be lucky to even hear of one. In fact, Lord Aizen has been searching for them for some time now."

As Sora took all this in, the Adjuchas began talking, " **Look what we have here. Arrancars."**

" **You mean those group of Hollows who sold themselves out to a Soul Reaper."**

" **But look. They have a human with them."**

Starrk decided to step up, "What are you doing around here?"

" **Hunting of course. The Forest of Menos has gotten a bit crowed lately. So, we came up here for a fresh start."**

" **And we were right. We find so many weaker Hollows hide around here. Perfect hunting spot if so do say so myself."**

Shaking his head, Sora went to ask, "So, then you're the group of Hollows that have been causing trouble around here?"

" **What of it?"**

"Well I'm here to stop you guys." Sora said.

Hearing that, all the group of Adjuchas laughed. **"You hear that. This human actually thinks he can stop us on his own."**

"I don't think they're taking you seriously." Lilynette said, getting annoyed by their laughter.

"Let's just take them out and be done with it." Starrk said. Before he could step up, Sora summoned his Keyblade, blocking his way. "Wait Starrk. Let me handle them."

The two Arrancar gawked at him. "Are you crazy, these guys are Adjuchas. They're nothing like those Hollows you killed." Lilynette said.

"I don't know much about these Menos, but Aizen said that you guys were here to monitor my progress. Besides," Sora stretched his neck. "It's been a while since I had a good workout."

Before the little girl Arrancar could retort, Starrk stepped up. "Can you do it?" Sora looked and nodded, no trace of doubt in his eyes.

"Fine, I'll leave it to you. Come on Lilynette." Starrk said.

"What!" Lilynette exclaimed. "Starrk you can't be serious!"

"I said let's go." Starrk said more firmly.

Lilynette glared at him but relented. "Alright, alright." She ran after him.

The first Adjucha jumped in the air, bringing his claw down at Sora. He however, dodged and retaliated with a downward slash, that caused a large amount of blood to gush out.

The second Adjucha launched a barrage of punches at Sora. Though it was futile, as Sora simply dodged all of them. The Adjucha then gathered a large amount of Spiritual energy from his mouth, and then fired a large beam directly at Sora. The beam was so fast that Sora barely dodged it in time. it caused a crater to form in the ground.

"What was that?" Sora said, seeing the damage.

" _Cero!_ " Starrk said from the sideline. "Another technique that Menos and Arrancar can use. Like how he demonstrated, you gather spiritual energy and release it into one big blast.

Taking that into consideration, Sora resume his attack on the Adjuchas. Remembering his earlier battle with Runuganga, Sora decided to try that new spell out.

" _Blizzard!_ " Sora shouted and froze two of them in their tracks.

"He can use magic with that Key!" Lilynette said, surprised by this development.

The fight wasn't over yet as the remaining Adjuchas gang up on Sora. He casted another ice spell but the adjucha repelled it with a Cero. Sora dodge to the right as the adjucha slammed down. However, Sora was greeted by the other one waiting for him. Using his claws, he attacked Sora with several fury swipes. Though Sora dodged them in time, he was nicked slightly.

"Looks like he's having trouble." Lilynette said, feeling a bit concerned for him. "C'mon Starrk, we gotta help him."

"Don't jump to conclusions Lilynette." Starrk said without taking his eyes from the fight. "He's just getting warmed up."

Lilynette looked over to Sora, where she noticed that Sora quickly composed himself as if nothing was happening.

"I'll admit you Adjuchas are tough but I doubt you're a match for the Espada." Sora said before holding his Keyblade like a baseball bat. "Anyway, let's end this."

The Adjuchas soon glowed in rage as they both charged at the Keyblade wielder. However, to Lilynette's surprise, a strange aura was coming from Sora. It was much like his fight with Runuganga, only the aura was much more…fiery.

" _Fire!_ " Sora swung his Keyblade which released a large Fireball that flew toward the other adjuchas. Without time to attack, the fireball soon exploded. All that could be heard were their screams of pain from the intense burn. When the smoke subsided, both Adjuchas where lying on the ground severely burned, unable to fight. With the other two still frozen, all the Adjuchas were defeated.

"Nothing to it!" Sora declared holding his Keyblade on his back.

"Sora" said boy turned to see Lilynette running towards him. "That was so awesome! You took down those Adjuchas."

"Was there ever a doubt?" Sora said, grinning.

"A little, but I had a feeling you had some tricks up your sleeve." Starrk said, walking up.

"Well, what do we do with them?" Sora asked, looking at the unconscious Adjuchas.

"Leave them here." Starrk said. "Lord Aizen only told us to quell these rouge Hollows. I doubt they'll pull anymore stunts after what you did to them."

"Alright then. I guess we should head back then." With that, the trio returned to Las Noches.

* * *

The trip had been relatively quiet. However, while they were walking to Aizen throne room, Sora thought about some of the things he learned. Hollows came in all sorts of categories, and those Menos weren't pushovers. Though it made him wonder what the Arrancars were capable of. So, he decided to ask them, "By the way, I was hoping you could tell me some more things Arrancars can do. I mean if you don't mind."

Starrk thought about it, and decided. "Yeah, I guess it's fair to fill you in, since Lord Aizen will be informing you about the Soul Reapers. You already know about Sonido and Cero. Arrancar have some basic techinques." Starrk said. "First, there's _Bala_ , a technique that fires hardened spiritual pressure. While not as powerful as a Cero, it's faster than one.

"There's also _Hierro_." Lilynette interjected. "It's an Arrancar's outer skin with high spiritual hardness that increases our defenses. You can basically call it an iron skin."

"There's also _High-Speed Regeneration_ , it allows Arrancar to heal most injuries very quickly so long as their heads intact." Starrk stated. "Of course, most Arrancar give up this ability for power."

"There's also _Pesquisa_ " Lilynette added. "It allows an Arrancar to measure and locate spiritual energy." That explained how Starrk located the Adjuchas. "and finally, there's an Arrancar's _Resurrección_."

"Resurrección?" Sora asked.

"When a Hollow becomes an Arrancar, their abilities are sealed in their Zanpakutō." Starrk explained.

"So, when an Arrancar wants to use their full power, they go into a Resurrección." Sora interpreted, which they nodded. This was a lot to take in. So, there were more abilities the Arrancar have at their disposal. And this Resurrección…

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking," Sora asked, "What are your Resurreccións like?"

Both Starrk and Lilynette suddenly froze. Starrk began rubbing the back of his head while Lilynette darted her eye back and forth.

"Oh, uh, well, you see…" Lilynette stumbled her words as if trying to come up with what to say.

"Our Resurrección is different from the other Arrancars." Starrk finished, hoping that would be a good enough answer.

The Keybearer was surprised to see how hesitant they had become. There was probably more to their Resurrección, but who was he to pray on that subject.

"It's alright," Sora said calmly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Both their attentions return at him. "Really!?" Lilynette asked.

"You don't mind?" Starrk couldn't help but ask.

Sora chuckled as he put his hands behind his head. "I won't say anything if it bothers you two so much. I'll wait until you feel comfortable enough to tell me."

Starrk let out a sigh as if he just dodged a bullet there. Lilynette couldn't help but feel grateful. "You know Sora," Lilynette gave a wide smile, "For a human, you're alright."

Sora chuckled while Starrk couldn't help but feel perplexed at what Lilynette said. "I'll take that as a compliment."

The two of them walked together, both laughing. It felt nice to make some new friends in a new, mysterious place. Well, semi-friends but still hoped they considered him someone close to them.

Meanwhile, seeing them walk together, Starrk noticed that Lilynette seemed to have grown fond of Sora. This certainly was surprising, as the only person Lilynette ever spoke to was him. It's not like she ever tried to socialize with anyone here. Also, for some reason, he couldn't help but feel this aura coming from Sora. This aura was filled was so much…Happiness. Like it was something that you'd want to be around and felt nice. Nonetheless, Starrk shook off these thoughts and followed his two comrades.

* * *

"You two wait here." Starrk instructed. "It shouldn't take too long to make a report."

As Starrk went in the throne room, Sora turned and noticed Lilynette walking away. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Taking a walk." She said nonchalantly. "I'd get bored just waiting out here."

"But Starrk said to stay here." Sora informed.

"Like I ever listen to anything he says." Lilynette retorted. Knowing, he wouldn't be able to change her mind, Sora decided to follow her.

Soon, Sora and Lilynette found themselves wondering around Las Noches. He thought that Lilynette would be leading him back to their room. However, it seems that they were just wandering around the hallway.

"I'm sure Starrk's noticed we're gone by now," Lilynette said to Sora. "I'd be surprised if he actually came looking for us."

"I'd be surprised to." Sora agreed, somewhat. "By the way, don't you guys ever get bored just laying around?"

Lilynette shrugged. "It is pretty boring but it's not like there's anything to do here in Hueco Mundo." Then her grin got bigger. "But have a feeling that things are gonna get a lot more exciting now that you're here."

Sora chuckled weakly, he still remembered the expressions Szayelaporro, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow had that day. "I guess so."

Lilynette smirked. "Yeah, I saw how Nnoitra and Grimmjow looked when they were talking to you. Those guys like to go around picking fights with people just to prove they're better. They might try to challenge you to a fight one of these days."

Sora frowned, not looking forward to that. "So, any other Espada I should be on the lookout for other than them?"

"Hmmm," Lilynette pondered on that question. Aside from Szayelaporro, Yammy was somewhat like those two but he was the weakest Espada, so he wasn't much of a threat. Ulquiorra was uncaring and Halibel mostly kept to herself. "Well, I think that you should also watch out for Baraggan."

"What's he like?" Sora asked, causing Lilynette to scoff. "That old fart just acts all high and mighty. Thinks he's better than everyone and even has his Fracciónes kissing up to him all of the time."

"Fracciónes? Are they like the servants to the Espada?" Sora asked.

"That's basically it." Lilynette instructed. "Espadas pick from a group of Números to become their Fracciónes that they supervise. They can pick as many as they want. For one thing, Szayelaporro has like over a dozen Fracciónes."

"A dozen?" The Keybearer exclaimed, surprised.

"Yeah, I think he does experiments on them his lab," Lilynette replied. This sent a shiver down Sora's spine, not eager to see what kind of experiments he does. "Anyways, you should also watch out for Baraggan's Fracciónes, cause if you do something to anger Baraggan, he may order his Fraccion after you. He prefers to let others do his dirty work."

"Well, hopefully I don't do anything to get people to start hating me." Sora muttered.

"Well I don't," Lilynette assured him with an encouraging smile. "Besides, Lord Aizen can deal with them. Just remember that as long as you're with us, no one will try to mess with you."

Sora chuckled, "I'll take you up on that."

The duo had neared a corner, when something got spiky-haired boy's attention. It sounded like someone was shouting. "Let me go, you jerk!" It was a female's voice.

"I'll teach you women to insult me." Another voice retorted.

"Who's that?" Sora said.

"Nnoitra." Lilynette said, immediately recognizing that voice. Quickly, Sora headed off into the direction where the voices came from. "Hey wait up." Lilynette said, following him.

Arriving at the corner, the pair saw Nnoitra and the three girls that where with Halibel.

The first female had heterochromia, with her right eye ice blue while her left eye is amber with a red outline around it. She has black, jaw-length hair, and her mask fragment is on the top of her head with a horn in the middle. She wore the standard Arrancar uniform, but has shoulder length sleeves with black cuffs with a V-neck, and gloves and collars over her wrists. Her name is Emilou Apacci.

The second female was a dark-skinned, green-eyed Arrancar with long, thick, wavy brown hair and large breasts. Her Hollow hole is positioned mid-way between her navel and chest area. Her mask fragments form a three-sectioned crown around her head and a thick necklace. Her Arrancar attire resembled that of an Amazon warrior, with multiple armor covering her breasts and upper arms, gauntlets on her forearms, and a white skirt. She is known as Franceska Mila Rose.

The third female had a slender figure, with long, flowing, olive-green hair, long eyelashes, and lavender eyes, with three pink dots just below her right eye. Her mask remnants create three hair clip-like extensions on the right side of her bangs. She wears a furry black necklace around her neck. Her outfit consists of a long white dress with long sleeves, which extend well past her hands, with a single slit in each one, and two thin belts crisscrossing around her waist. She is Cyan Sung-Sun.

It appears that those three were in the middle of a fight with Nnoitra. However, judging by their dampened appearance, they could tell that this fight was rather one-sided for the three of them.

"Master Halibel will never let you get away with this!" Mila Rose said, drawing her sword. She charged at Nnoitra, but he responded by simply kicking Mila Rose in the gut. She was sent flying all the way to Sung-Sun, who was using her sai to keep herself up. Sora gasped when he noticed that Nnoitra currently had his hand over Apacci's throat. She had her hands over his arm, struggling to get out of his grip.

"Didn't anyone teach you women to learn your place?" Nnoitra snarled. "It was bad enough that the former third Espada was a woman but then Halibel had to come along."

"What's going on?" Sora said as he was still watching.

Lilynette narrowed her eye. "Tch, he's at it again. You see one thing that Nnoitra can't stand is a female outranking him. Which Halibel which happens to be."

"And he attacked them just for that?" Sora said, growing angry.

"Could be." She assumed. "Though I think he might've been badmouthing her. See those three girls over there are Halibel's Fracciónes. They're really protective of her and will attack anyone who crosses her."

Sora returned his gaze to see Sung-Sun shakily got up, drawing her sai, "You should watch the way you speak about Master Halibel." She said with a glare. Before she could make a move to attack, Nnoitra used his free hand to grab her face and then proceeded to slam her body to the ground.

"And YOU should watch the way you speak about me," Nnoitra sneered. "It seems Halibel hasn't been teaching her Fracciónes some manners." He then smirked sadistically, "Guess I'll have to be the one to teach you."

Having seen enough, Sora came out of the corner, much to Lilynette's shock. "HEY! Pick on someone your own size!" Nnoitra turned around to see Sora standing there.

The three girls turned and immediately recognized him as the Human who had allied with them. Nnoitra grinned at the sight.

"So," he said, dropping Apacci. "Decided to join the party, have you Sora?"

"I'll only say this once, leave them alone." Sora demanded.

"And if I don't?" Nnoitra sneered.

Sora summoned his Keyblade. "I'll make you!"

This shocked Lilynette, not as much as the three girls. This mysterious human came to their defense and was willing to challenge the fifth Espada to save them. Nnoitra just laughed at his response. "You're really challenging me, just to save some women you barely know?"

"Is he crazy?" Lilynette said, bewildered.

"He's fighting to save us." Sung-Sun whispered.

"Just who is this Human?" Mila Rose wondered

"Get out of here, you idiot!" Apacci ordered, though whether she didn't want him here or was concerned for his safety was unknown. "You're no match for him!"

"Shut up!" Nnoitra said, kicking Apacci into Mila Rose and Sung-Sun. "I'll take you up on that challenge, Sora. But just because you can beat our guard doesn't mean you're a match for me!"

Sora glared at Nnoitra. "Lilynette!" he called over, startling her.

"Yeah?" She asked from her corner.

"Stay where you are." He ordered, "I'll handle him."

"Are you crazy!?" Lilynette protested. "He's the fifth Espada there's no way you could…"

"Just do what I say." He ordered, more serious than she had ever seen him. Before she could yell at him, she saw him getting into an unusual fighting style that the five of them had ever seen. He held his Keyblade in two-handed reverse grip, which clearly showed a lack of sword training.

Nnoitra picked up a giant scythe-like weapon bearing two crescent moon-shaped blades fused together at the backs, with a large looped chain connected to the shaft at the end of the handle. Sora wondered how he didn't notice that.

With that, both opponents charged towards each other. Nnoita raised his arm, attempting to bring down his scythe and cut down Sora. Sora saw this and used his Keyblade to block the attack, which released an intense amount of pressure. This certainly surprised Nnoitra, as he expected to cut through that "dinky" key-shaped sword, though it appeared to be more durable then it looked.

With a mighty roar, Sora repeatedly attacked Nnoitra's scythe with a barrage of attacks. This didn't do much damage to it. "Is that the best you can do?" He shouted.

"I'm just getting started." Channeling his energy, Sora swung his Keyblade, releasing a fireball that flew towards Nnoitra. Seeing it, he blocked it with his scythe, which caused a small explosion upon collision.

"How'd you like that?" Sora said. However, when the smoke cleared, Nnoitra was revealed to only have a small scorch mark. Nonetheless, he was still alright.

"Impressive move, I'll admit that." Nnoitra chuckled. "But a little fire won't be enough to break my body"

Nnoitra charged again, where he brought down his blade on Sora. However, instead of simply blocking it, Sora gathered enough strength to deflect the weapon. Seeing that he was unguarded, Sora took the opportunity to use a downward slash on Nnoitra. Much to his surprise, no wound was inflected. Instead, sparks just simply flew, as if he trying to cut a wall of steel.

Nnoitra couldn't help but laugh at his stupefied face. "Quite a surprise huh!? My hierro is the most powerful among the Espada. Your gonna have to do more than that if you ever want to hurt me!"

Hierro. Sora suddenly remembered that Lilynette had informed him about this. But he didn't expect Nnoita's hierro to be that strong. Just how powerful was it compared to the top 4 Espada.

However, Sora's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Nnoitra was gone. Before Lilynette could warn him, Sora managed to sense a presence behind him. He turned to see Nnoitra standing a few feet behind him, smirking smugly at him.

He must have used Sonido.

Nnoitra suddenly threw his whole scythe at him. Sora soon noticed the long extending chain that Nnoitra was holding on to. He blocked the oncoming attack, however, he was knocked back a few feet because of the weapon's force. Soon, Sora collided with a nearby wall.

"Sora!" Lilynette shouted as she and the other girls looked in horror as Nnoitra just laughed. "Come on Keyblade hero! I thought you'd make this fight more interesting."

Lilynette looked on from the smoke cloud, silently wishing he was alright. From his position, Sora lying on the ground. While the impact did hurt, he was still alright. Right now, he was currently thinking about his best course of action. His magic spells weren't as effective and Nnoitra's hierro made regular swords strike difficult. " _If I don't think of something quick, I'm gonna lose. There has to be a way to break his hierro. If only may attacks were more powerful."_ Suddenly, Sora experienced another headache. As he was clutching his head in pain, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun were thinking of their next strategy.

"We have to do something this is getting out of hand." Mila Rose said.

"I was thinking we should go back and find Master Halibel." Sung-Sun suggested.

"For once, I have to agree with ya." Apacci admitted. "If anyone could put that bastard in his place, it's her."

"You three aren't going anywhere." Suddenly, Nnoitra appeared in front of them, much to their horror. He was about to bring down his weapon…

Only for him to be knocked off his feet by a hurdling object.

Angrily, Nonitra got up, determined to find out the source of the attack. He looked over to Lilynette, though she was unarmored. It was then that he noticed a spinning object that was returning to the smoke cloud. When the smoke cleared, it was revealed to be Sora, who had thrown his Keyblade. This technique was called _Strike Raid_.

"Sora!" Nnoitra wondered.

"Sora!" Lilynette looked on in awe. He survived Nnoitra's attack. As she got a closer view, she noticed that Sora's clothing was more darker compared to what she saw him were before. The hoodie is colored black, with silver pauldron-like additions to his sleeves and white lining. His undershirt is a navy blue with a red patch in the center. His pants are colored black on the outside, and a navy blue on the inside, lined with silver-white edging with red pockets with a black cross over them. Yellow straps criss-cross around his pants, held together with a black belt. His gloves are colored black on the outside and white on the inside with a yellow line running around them. He also wears large black-yellow shoes with silver soles, a zipper running across the top, and black straps holding them together with buckles here and there.

" ** _Second Form!_** " Sora declared. He concentrated, then his eyes flashed as he glowed with energy. With immense speed, he lunged forward and successfully executed several strikes on the fifth Espada. He was so fast that Nnoitra barely had time to counter and Sora continued dashing back and forward, until finally, he unleashed an energy-encased attack that knocked Nnoitra back and left the girls amazed.

"I'm guessing my _Sonic Blade_ was a little too fast for you." Sora declared.

Regaining his balance, "You little brat! You're done!"

"No, you are!" Sora attack Nnoitra's scythe twice before Nnoitra brought down his scythe again. However, Sora unleashed an aura of energy, which formed into a rippling sphere that pushed Nnoitra back. This was known as _Ripple Drive._

As Nnoitra was pushed back, Sora continued his assault until spun in place rapidly with his Keyblade and created a vortex of magic energy. Before anyone could react, Nnoitra found himself being drawn into that strange power, as if it was a magnetic force. This was one of Sora's spells, _Magnet Burst._

Seeing an opening, Sora closed his eyes and his Keyblade began releasing an intense aura, one completely different then before. Opening his eyes, he executed a single Keyblade strike that struck Nnoitra's mid-section. The technique was soon impossibly fast everyone present was unable to see it. The technique was called _Zantetsuken._

The attack was powerful however, if Sora expected to see Nnoitra toppling over in pain because of the blow, he was sadly disappointed. Nnoitra just stood there, though his body was bent over from Sora's attack. A line of smoke could be seen from that spot.

"What the heck are you made of?" Sora asked, having put everything into that attack yet Nnoitra still withstood the blow. Was his Hierro that powerful.

However, Nnoitra was distracted at the moment. His lone eye widened when he realized that he had felt a brief moment of pain from the strike. Even though it wasn't enough to deal a considerable damage, the fact that he felt any pain at all was enough to freak him out. His Hierro was supposed to be the strongest in history. He shouldn't feel ANY pain at all. Not only that but he noticed that something had changed in Sora's demeanor.

" _Where the hell did he learn those moves_? Nnoitra thought.

Lilynette was thinking the same thing. He never used any of these techniques during his fight with those Adjuchas. It's like they just came to him out of nowhere. And his eyes. His eyes were different. His eyes looked like that…of a seasoned warrior.

Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun couldn't help but watch in amazement as Nnoitra and Sora began trading blows. Nnoitra trying to cut Sora in pieces while Sora kept blocking and retaliating with strike after strike. While the four girls had initially believed that this human would prove no match for Nnoitra, they were shocked to see that they were wrong. The fifth Espada was not able to land any significant damage on Sora. How was this mysterious human capable of going up against the higher ranked Espada? After learning a bit about the Keyblade wielders from Aizen, they had to wonder, " _Are all Keyblade wielders that powerful_?"

Nnoitra was getting furious. There was no way he was going to let some measly human get the better of him in a fight. He was the most powerful Espada ever created!

"Time to finish this. _Ars Arcanum!"_ Sora shouted as his Keyblade glowed and charged at the fifth Espada, unleashing thirteen powerful slashes that sent him skidding across the floor. Regaining his posture, Nnoitra stuck out his tongue to form a Cero blast, but before he could, Sora took the initiative and casted an ice spell that froze Nnoitra's right arm.

"You think this hurts me?" Nnoitra taunted, breaking the ice with one movement. "How many times do I have to repeat myself. You can't break my Hierro!"

Sora looked at him, his second form wearing off, returning him to his normal attire. "At least I'm not going around attacking three girls just because I can't handle the fact that a girl is better than me!"

Nnoitra was furious. "Why you little…" he stuck his tongue to and launched a Cero blast directly at Sora, when…

Starrk appeared and effortlessly deflected the Cero away with one hand, like swatting a fly. Sora, Nnoitra, Lilynette, and the three girls were surprised to see the first Espada's presence.

"Starrk!" Lilynette said in surprise, while Nnoitra glared.

"What's going on here?" Starrk said with a hint of seriousness in his voice.

"Starrk. Stay out of this!" The fifth Espada demanded. "This isn't your business!"

"I was put in charge of him by Lord Aizen." Starrk stated. "So, I think it is my business."

Sora had placed his Keyblade away as he and Lilynette ran over to Apacci, Mila-Rose, and Sung-Sun's direction, noticing how big the tension was getting.

"I'm not in the mood today. So I'll say this once; leave". Starrk said.

"And if I don't?" Nnoitra said, narrowing his eye.

Starrk sighed as he slowly reached for his sword. "I really didn't want to do this but if you don't go away then I'll have to use force."

This declaration certainly shocked everyone. They didn't expect the first Espada to take initiative for once.

Nnoitra composed himself, as he couldn't help but laugh at this development. "Well, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were starting to grow fond of this human."

Looking at Sora briefly, Starrk retorted, "If anything happened to him on my watch, Lord Aizen wouldn't be too happy about it. Plus, Lilynette's grown fond of him after our mission. If he died, she never let me hear the end of it."

Sora didn't know if that was a compliment or not. Sora had expected Lilynette to chew Starrk out for that statement but instead she just turned looked away, looking embarrassed. She certainly didn't deny what Starrk said.

Nnoitra wasn't intimidated by Starrk's threat. If anything he looked excited.

"Alright then fine." He said gleefully. "Let's see which one of us truly deserves the title of First Espada."

"That would be enough, Nnoitra."

Everyone present turned quickly to see Aizen, Gin, Tōsen, and Halibel appeared in front of everyone. Sora let out a sigh of relief.

"L-lord Aizen." Nnoitra muttered.

"Master Halibel!" the three girls shouted.

"What is going on here?" Halibel asked. Her voice was still calm, but there was something in her voice that sent chills up the spines of everyone else. (except for Starrk and the three ex-captains).

"I was informed of this interesting development." Aizen said. "That Nnoitra was currently battling our guest. I decided to look into this matter and now I see two of my Espada about to do battle. Tell me, what brought on this little development?"

Before Nnoitra could make an excuse, Apacci decided to interject. "Master Halibel! Lord Aizen! That idiot Nnoitra attacked us!"

"Yeah, but then Sora saved us. He was able to hold his own against Nnoitra long enough for Starrk to arrive." Mila Rose stated.

Sure enough, they could see some scratches and scorch marks on both Sora and Nnoitra, but they were nothing too serious, which was truly something on Sora's part. They didn't imagine that Sora would be skilled enough to take on an Espada, let alone Nnoitra.

"How very considerate of you Sora." Aizen said. "Choosing to stand up to an Espada for the sake of someone is very noble of you."

"But it is surprising." Gin stated. "For one thing, you hardly even know them."

"It doesn't matter." Sora said firmly. "I wasn't going to stand around and do nothing while he was hurting people."

Halibel and her Fracciónes couldn't help but feel touched at his comment. Aizen even smiled softly, "You truly are an honorable person. And a remarkable feat holding your own against my fifth Espada." Nnoitra scoffed at that remark.

"We will deal with Nnoitra," Tōsen said. "You may tend to your Fracciónes, Halibel."

Halibel nodded. "Thank you, Tōsen."

As she walked past Nnoitra, she decided to inform him. "I believe I made it clear that I will not allow any harm to come to my Fracciónes, Nnoitra." she said calmly to him. "Don't ever forget that. If you harm them again…"

Nnoitra looked at Halibel with hate filled eyes, which Halibel showed no emotion to, "You're just a stupid female!" Nnoitra said to her. "You don't deserve the rank of third Espada! You don't even deserve to be an Espada at all!"

"Wow, not only a sore loser, but a jerk too." Sora said.

Nnoitra snarled at Sora. "This is between me and her, human! Stay out of this!"

"You hurt those three for no reason!" Sora yelled. "Do you really I'm gonna let you…"

Aizen noticed the animosity growing and decided to intervene. "Nnoitra, I believe it is time for us to go." Nnoitra and Sora would have gone another round but knew that Aizen's words was final.

Nnoitra followed the three, but not before sending a look of pure hatred at Halibel and her Fracciónes. His eyes lingered on Sora who returned the glare without blinking at him. The four of them then left in a flash.

Once the four left, Halibel turned to look at her three female Fracciónes. "Are you okay, girls?" she asked.

The three girls nodded. "Yes, Master Halibel." Sung-Sun replied. "He had just started attacking us when Sora and Lilynette arrived."

Halibel nodded. "Go and get yourselves cleaned up girls."

The three girls nodded to Halibel and started to walk off. But not before each of them looked at Sora. There was respect, gratefulness, and possibly admiration in their eyes.

"Uh, Thanks, hum…I mean, Sora." Apacci muttered, looking at the ground

"We are in your debt." Mila Rose said, her head held high and without shame.

"You have our gratitude." Sung-Sun said with a curt nod.

All three girls suddenly bowed their heads to Sora before walking off.

Halibel then turned to look at Sora, Lilynette, and Starrk. "Hello Halibel." The latter greeted casually.

"Starrk." She said formally. She gave the Keybearer a brief glance before facing Starrk. "I wish to speak to him...alone."

This certainly took the three by surprise. Starrk decided not to argue. "Sure. C'mon Lilynette."

She glared at him ordering her around again, but followed. She turned to Sora. "Be back in few minutes."

Sora watched them disappear with Sonido. He turned back to look at Halibel. He wanted to say something but she interrupted. "Sora," she said. "I would like to thank you for protecting them. Did you do it because they were your comrades?"

"I just did what anyone would've done." He said, plain and simple. He then gave a small smile, "Besides, I'm sure they would do the same for me."

Halibel looked at Sora. He was willing to help anyone in need, no matter who they were. Even if it meant standing up to an Espada like Nnoitra. She could see that his heart was filled with kindness. " _He is a good person_." She thought. " _He does not belong here of all places."_

"Sora," she said. "I will be honest with you. Several people here would have simply let Nnoitra do whatever he wanted to them."

Sora's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he yelled outraged. "But surely Aizen wouldn't have…"

"Most people here tend to forget the rules that Lord Aizen has made for us. Nnoitra is one example." She clarified.

Sora looked at the ground, angered at this information. He certainly needed to watch out for Nnoitra in the future. Halibel noticed this.

"Which makes me grateful that it was you of all people who arrived at the right time." Halibel said before giving a small bow. "For defending Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun, you have earned my respect."

Sora felt like he was being honored. He smiled because he could also tell by her tone that she really cared for her Fracciónes well-being. "Thank you, Halibel."

Halibel responded with a nod. "I am also impressed that you did well against Nnoitra. However, be warned that you have gained an enemy in him. He is not one to forgive and will do whatever it takes to settle the score."

She was taken by surprise when she noticed the determined look on Sora's face.

"I'll admit Nnoitra is tough but I won't go down that easily." He said. "I'll keep training until the time comes when I have to go toe-to-toe with Nnoitra again. After all, he's not the only powerful opponent I've faced."

Halibel stared at Sora. She could tell he was not saying this out of arrogance, but conviction. She closed her eyes. "You are either really brave or foolish."

Sora smirked at that. "Or a bit of both." He said, placing his hands behind his head.

"Hmm" was all Halibel said before turning around. "I will go check on my Fracciónes." She spared him a final glance. "Thank you, again Sora."

Once she left, Sora let out a sigh. This had been one eventful day. But still, he considered the warning she gave him. True he was able to hold his own against Nnoitra, he could tell that he wasn't going all out either. For one thing, he didn't use his Resurrección. Knowing Nnoitra would be gunning for him, Sora decided that the best he could do was train, hopefully gain more skills when the time came for when he did have to face off against Nnoitra.

"Well, looks like you became friends with Hailbel." Lilynette teased, interrupting Sora from his thoughts.

Sora turned to see both her and Starrk standing behind him. "Well, I know she respects me. But hopefully that means we're on good term."

"Still an accomplishment." Starrk pointed out. "Those four usually keep to themselves most of the time."

"But it was still awesome seeing how you fought evenly with Nnoitra." She grinned, "The Espada are still powerful even without their Resurrección. Wonder how everyone's gonna react."

As the three began walking, Sora smiled nervously. "Well let's not wait around to find out. Besides, I only fought him to protect those three. I'm glad they're alright."

Lilynette scoffed as she started looked at his with a scrutinizing glaze. "I still don't get it. Why would you help them when you barely know them?"

"Who cares if I know them or not." Sora said plainly. "Helping people out is just the what I do."

Lilynette groaned, "I think you're too nice."

Sora laughed, "Well that's just the kind of guy I am." Sora placed his hand in his pocket. He then felt something in his pocket. Placing his hand inside, he took out something that looked like a star-shaped ornament made of seashells.

"What is that?" Lilynette asked, noticing Sora staring at that charm.

"I don't know, but it feels...familiar." Suddenly, Sora's head started to throb, he gasped a he grasped his head, falling to his knees. The pain was to intense, he could barely see or think.

Starrk and Lilynette immediately rushed to his side. "Sora! Sora, are okay?" Lilynette asked, worried.

"What's happening?" Starrk asked, also concerned.

However, the pain began to mysteriously dissipate. Sora looked up to see the two Arrancar next to him.

"Are you okay?" Lilynette asked again.

"I'm alright." Sora said, getting up. "In fact, I remember!"

* * *

By now, the news that Sora had fought Nnoitra soon began to spread throughout Las Noches like wildfire. Sora suspected that Apacci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, and maybe Lilynette had something to do with this. Especially since the rumors made sure to mention the fact that Sora had fought Nnoitra in an evenly matched fight.

Of course, Nnoitra had made it perfectly clear to everyone within earshot that he had not been using his Resurrección in that fight. That much was true as they would have immediately sensed his spiritual energy increase. Still, the fact that the Keybearer fought evenly with the fifth Espada was impressive…and was also a call for concern. Some Arrancar treated Sora with respect and a tiny bit of fear. Others saw Sora as someone who needed to be taken down. Aizen himself did not saying anything about the rumors, but he hadn't done anything to end them either.

Speaking of Aizen, he, Gin, and Tōsen were talking amongst each other in Aizen's throne room. Their main topic of course was on Sora.

"I haven't seen this much excitement since that whole Ryoka incident at the Soul Society." Gin commented. "Imagine what would happen if those two boys were to meet each other."

"Sora is nothing like Ichigo Kurosaki!" Tōsen snapped at Gin. "Sora is truly one of justice."

Gin's smile showed his teeth. "Oh, looks like you're starting to grow quite fond of him, eh Kaname?"

"Sora has shown that he is willing to punish those who disturb the order of Las Noches," Tōsen said to him. "His fight with Nnoitra showed that.

"I am certain that no one can deny that they are impressed with Sora's abilities." Aizen said.

"Do you intend to pit Sora against the half Soul Reaper boy?" Gin asked pleasantly.

"Now that would be something," Aizen said, imagining Sora and Ichigo trying to kill each other. "But I'm afraid he still needs more experience before he goes up against Ichigo Kurosaki and the rest of the Soul Society. Also, I still have a few more preparations to make before we put our plans into motion. Are Ulquiorra and Yammy ready to go?"

"Well, Yammy's been complaining about how much he's been dying of boredom." Gin answered.

Aizen gave a light chuckle. "I expected as much." he said. He then gave a menacing smile. "It won't be long now."

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: This is where one change begins. In my previous version, I didn't include the Keyblade Wielders until much later. However, for this revision, I decided to include scenes of them and their plans to find Sora and Kairi. Remember, this story follows the part where Sora leaves to find Kairi after Xehanort's defeat but before the ending. I'll include more scenes later but Sora is still the focal person. As for Kairi, she'll appear later.**_

 _ **Also, I included Second Form but I also added some changes to it. For one thing, Ars Arcanum is the sole finisher, Stun Impact and Sonic Blade being standard attacks. Strike Raid and Zantetsuken are also included now, but think of them as Situation Commands.**_

 _ **Next time: Sora begins his training with Tōsen. He also goes on a sole mission to the Forest of Menos, where he meets a unexpected person. Did Sora's memories come back? What does he remember? Until next time. Please review and I am opened to questions and opinions.**_


	4. Training Begins!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Fourth Chapter up! Please note that I don't own Bleach and Kingdom Hearts. Though I wish I did.**_

 _ **Cue Intro: (Sense of Wonder)**_

 _ **(0:00-0:12):**_ _In front of a glowing red background, Sora pops out from below, smirking toward the viewers. The background then changes to lime green, where Lilynette pops out, giving a toothy grin. The color then changes to blue and Starrk soon appears, looking like he had woken up from a nap._

 _ **(0:13-0:24):**_ _The trio are then seen standing in front of the entrance of Las Noches. Starrk and Lilynette are standing on either side of Sora. Sora materializes his Keyblade in his hand. He shoots out a beam of light. When the light fades away. The title "Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War" soon appears._

 _ **(0:25-0:35):**_ _Sora, with his hands in his pockets, is seen walking down the desert of Las Noches, looking down in deep thought. On the right side of the screen, various images of Sora fighting Heartless pass by. From Sora's appearance in Kingdom Hearts, to Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts III._

 _ **(0:36-0:46):**_ _Sora looks up to see Starrk, Lilynette, even Halibel and her Fracciónes up ahead, smiling (though Starrk's was smaller and Halibel's was covered). Various images pop up: one of Sora and Lilynette running away from an angry Starrk, whose face was drawn on. Sora and Mila Rose restraining an enraged Lilynette and Apacci while Sung-Sun and Halibel watch from the side. Sora and Ashido fighting against a giant group of Hollows. There's also Sora and Lilynette clashing with wooden swords, both laughing in joy._

 _ **(0:47-0:57):**_ _Images of a boy with silver hair and a girl with red hair appear in Sora's mind. Next to them are a group of anthropomorphic mouse, duck, and dog. The next scene shows the entire residences of Las Noches. The group include the Fracciónes, the Espada, and standing on top are Gin on the right, smiling mischievously. Tosen on the left, looking emotionless. On Aizen at the center, giving a smug and aloof demeanor._

 _ **(0:58-1:04):**_ _An entire colony of hollows appears, only for it to be destroyed in a huge explosion. Walking out of the flames is Nnoitra, carrying his axe. He stares at the screen, smirking sadistically._

 _ **(1:05-1:15):**_ _Nnoitra jumps in the air, swinging his large axe, which generates a ginormous sandstorm. Sora, having difficulty in seeing, barely dodges as Nnoitra threw his axe at him. Both fighters appear to be flying, with Sora knocking Nnoitra back with Ripple Drive. Nnoitra recovers and stops Sora's thrust by grabbing his Keyblade. He then throws in a few inches away._

 _ **(1:16-1:26):**_ _Lilynette and Halibel's Fracciónes are watching the fight on one side with concerned looks. with Starrk and Halibel watch from another side, remaining passive. Nnoitra charges forward, his whole body glowing while Sora proceeds to use Zantetsuken. Both attacks collide, causing an outburst of power to occur. The opening ends with Sora looking out into the sun, behind him are Starrk, Lilynette, Halibrl, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun._

 _ **Ep. 4: "Training Begins! The Forest of Menos!"**_

Back at their room, Lilynette was lying down on the floor, with her arms spread out. She was currently reflecting on some of the things she learned from there apparent guest.

(Flashback)

 _"You remember?_ " Lilynette asked. " _Remembered what?_ "

" _Did you get your memories back_?" Starrk asked curiously.

Sora thought for a moment, then shook his head. " _No, not completely. The only thing I remember are the first 14-years of my life._ "

" _You can't remember anything after that?_ " Starrk inquired.

" _Pretty much._ " Sora began reflecting on his earlier life. " _I grew up in a world called the Destiny Islands. It was a chain of islands surrounded by a large body of ocean. It was small but there was this one island where my friends and I would play together._ "

" _A small island huh._ " Lilynette walked up to the spiky-haired boy. " _Sounds kinda boring._ "

" _Lilynette, don't insult him._ " Starrk said, not wanting him to be offended.

" _It's okay Starrk. She's not wrong._ " Sora reassured. " _I'll admit that it was a little boring. In fact, my best friend Riku convinced me to leave the island so that we could go explore the outside worlds. We even convinced another friend named Kairi to come along with us."_

 _"How were you guys planning to leave the island?_ " the little arrancar asked, growing interested.

" _We built a raft._ " Sora replied plainly. This certainly caused the two Arrancars to gawk at him.

" _You guys were planning to leave for space...on a raft._ " Starrk said, dumbfoundly.

" _Did your friend even think this through!?_ " Lilynette snapped.

" _Hey, cut us some slack!_ " Sora said raising his hands. " _We were really desperate to leave to island. But we never got a chance to leave on the raft."_

 _"Why is that?_ " the first Espada asked.

Sora wondered if he should answer them, but figured it wouldn't hurt anybody. " _Well that night, I became a Keyblade wielder._ "

Now this really captured the attention of his semi-friends. Because Sora was so young, they had wondered at what point did he acquired his Keyblade. However, there was one thing Lilynette wanted to know. " _Wait, how old were you when you got the Keyblade?_ "

Sora thought for a moment, " _I guess I was around fourteen-years-old._ "

Fourteen. When they first heard of the Keyblade wielders, they had assumed that Sora must have been trained to use it as a child. At appearance, they figured Sora was roughly fifteen or maybe sixteen. Having been using such a powerful weapon for a nearly a year now and being able to fight on par with an Espada like Nnoitra. Now that, was impressive.

Sora chuckled at their reaction. " _Yeah. You guys wouldn't believe just how many worlds I've traveled to."_

 _"So, tell us._ " Lilynette said offhandedly.

Sora did a double-take. " _Wait, what._ "

" _Hey Lilynette._ " Starrk interjected. " _Give it a rest already. He doesn't have to…_ "

" _Oh c'mon Starrk. I know you're curious to!_ " Lilynette snapped back. She returned to look at Sora. " _Besides, we told you a bit about what we can do. And who knows, maybe talking about your past will trigger some memories._ "

Sora thought about it. She did have a point. If he spoke about some of his memories, then perhaps more will return. That and they were willing to share some of their abilities, so it sounded fair to shares them some of his own stories.

" _Alright, I'll tell you guys somethings._ " Sora replied. " _Where should I start?_ "

" _How about when you gained your Keyblade._ " Lilynette asked.

" _Sounds alright. Let's head back to the room and I'll tell you along the way._ " The three soon headed back as Sora began his tale. " _It all started when I had this dream…_ "

(Flashback end)

When they got back to the room, Sora sat down on the floor with Lilynette joining him. Starrk had of course laid down on his cot, but was listening nonetheless. Sora had explained that the night he gained his Keyblade was also the same night his world fell to darkness. While they felt sorry for him, he reassured them that he was alright.

He went on to explain that he had woken up in another world called Traverse Town. There, he met the inhabitants that explained to him about the Keyblade, Heartless, and the other worlds. It certainly surprised them to hear how many worlds were falling to darkness around that time. Since the Keyblade was the only weapon meant to save the worlds, and because Sora was the only known Keyblade wielder at the time, he agreed to help. Of course, it was also a chance to find his two friends: Riku and Kairi.

And so, Sora began his first journey, along with two others named Donald and Goofy. They were envoys from a world called Disney Castle, who were searching for their king and were given instructions to find the "Key" and stick with him. Sora then began to explain all the worlds he visited.

Lilynette listened with fascination while Starrk had gone to sleep. Or that's what they thought because despite his closed eyes, Starrk found himself listening to the Keybearer's tale. The young Arrancar never imagined just how many there were. They were filled with so many things she never considered real. Gods, mermaids, talking animals, monsters, pirates, etc. It made the two realize that their world was so small compared to the entire universe. All while, Sora had to put up with a group of villains who were controlling the Heartless so they could conquer their respective worlds.

However, they certainly were caught off guard to here that his friend Riku had joined forces with this evil witch named Maleficent, the leader of these villains. Another thing that caught them off guard was the fact that despite Riku having turned against Sora, not once did he ever give up on him. When Lilynette asked him why, Sora said that it was because he was his friend, and said "When a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there to help."

He was willing to go so far for his friend. The two Arrancar couldn't help but contemplate the meaning of that word. Of course, at that moment. Sora began to grow tired. Not his fault. After fighting Adjuchas and Nnoitra, it seems he earned a bit of sleep. So, they decided to call it a night (figuratively). The next day, Lilynette had woken up early. She was currently going over what she had learned from their guest. She had to admit, he was something. The Arrancar began growing a strong admiration towards him. Lilynette certainly wanted to hear more stories.

But she could wake him up, someone entered Starrk's chambers. Lilynette turned around while Sora and Starrk began to stir.

"Hello, Sora." Tōsen said casually.

"Huh," Sora rubbed his eye, sleepy but looked up to see Tōsen standing in front of the door. "Oh, Tōsen it's you." Sora said before getting up. "I'm guessing since you're here, that means it's time for my training."

Tōsen nodded. "Follow me outside. I will show where the training will take place."

Sora, now fully awake, got up and followed after Tōsen.

"Hey wait, can I come?" Lilynette called out, not wanting to miss out on this training.

Sora looked over to Tōsen. "Is that alright with you, Starrk?" the former captain asked.

Starrk thought about it, then closed his eye and rolled over. "Yeah sure. Just make sure to come back here afterwards."

"Very well then. Let's go Lilynette." With that, Lilynette followed Sora and Tōsen.

* * *

"If you don't mind." Sora said as they were walking down the corridor. "Are you sure it's okay to train outside? Won't that bother Runuganga." And given his earlier victory, Sora had a feeling that he was still sore about it.

Tōsen turned to Sora, "We won't be going _outside._ " As if seeing Sora's confusion, Tōsen went on. "Behold." The three then reached a bright light.

When the light died down, Sora opened his eyes and was completely surprised. They were outside, only it was bright and sunny compared to the dark and desolate wasteland he had seen earlier. Looking around, he noticed several buildings up ahead.

"Woah!" Sora stared, wide-eyed. "How is it morning already. I thought this place was all night."

Lilynette chuckled. "It is all night. We're still inside Las Noches."

"We are?" Sora blinked.

"Lord Aizen created a fake sky and sun within Las Noches." Tōsen explained. "He wanted to bring light within Hueco Mundo's darkness."

The Keyblade wielder was certainly impressed. Aizen really did a convincing job.

"Now then, here is where your training will begin." He and Sora stood across from each other while Lilynette sat off to the side, waiting to see what happens.

"Before we begin, you should know about the basic fighting styles of Soul Reapers" Tōsen instructed. "First, there is _Kidō_ ; the art of combat based on spells which are fueled by one's spiritual energy." Tōsen explained, with Sora focusing his attention, getting interested. "The more powerful a Soul Reaper is, the more powerful the spell will be."

"Each spell is graded from numbers one to ninety-nine, the higher the number, the more powerful the spell becomes." Tōsen continued. "To use Kidō, a Soul Reaper must say a specific incantation. However, these incantations are often long and require a few seconds to speak.

"Is there more?" Sora asked curiously.

"Yes. There are three types of Kidō," Tōsen said. "First, there is _Bakudō_ : Defensive spells that can block and repel attacks and also have the power to bind enemies in place; Next there is _Hadō_ : more offensive spells that can cause great harm to enemies and destroy objects; Finally, there is _Kaidō_ : which focuses on the art of healing."

"Wow." was all Sora said. Lilynette was also amazed, since she didn't know much about the Soul Reaper's powers.

"There is also another category known as _Forbidden Kidō_ : a classification for Kidō spells that are considered illegal by the Soul Society's leaders." Tōsen explained, then continued, "Next, there is Hoho: which is centered around deploying high-speed maneuver techniques in battle. It is also known as Flash Step."

"So, is it like Sonido?" Sora asked. Instead of replaying, Tōsen disappeared and then reappeared behind Sora, causing him to fall back in surprise. "You are correct."

He then proceeded to step back. "Then, there is Hakuda: The Soul Reapers' hand-to-hand combat style. It mainly relies on unarmed techniques and employs high-speed techniques as well."

"Finally, we have Zanjutsu: the art of swordsmanship." Tōsen continued, "I believe it would best for you to learn more about a Soul Reaper's weapon." Tōsen unsheathed his own zanpakutō and held it horizontally. "A Soul Reaper's zanpakutō is much different from an Arrancar's."

"How so?" Sora wondered aloud, eyeing the sword.

"While the Zanpakutō of an Arrancar is the embodiment of their Hollow powers, a Soul Reaper's zanpakutō reflects on their soul and power." Tōsen continued. "Also, the Zanpakutō of the Soul Reapers are sentient. They have a mind, body, and personalities of their own that controls their power. When a Soul Reaper is in perfect harmony with their blade, then they will grow more powerful."

This was certainly interesting. So, these Soul Reapers zanpakutō were technically...alive. That would mean he would technically be fighting against two people.

"Now, I will tell you something important." Tōsen went on. "All zanpakutō have two levels of release: the first one is _Shikai_ and a the second one is _Bankai_ ," Tōsen explained. "But we'll go over those later."

"Okay," Sora said. He'll admit, they sounded complicated. However, he made sure to commit these fighting styles to memory."

"Of course, since you are merely learning how to defend yourself against such abilities and not how to use them." Tōsen shifted into a fighting stance, holding his sword out in front of them, "It would be best to demonstrate these abilities through a spar."

His first battle with a Soul Reaper, Sora summoned his Keyblade and got into his usual fighting style.

Lilynette leaned forward, anxious to see how this fight turns out.

"Now, come at me with everything you have." Tōsen said. "Though, it is a pity that I cannot see the way you use your Keyblade."

"Why can't you?" a confused Sora asked.

"He's blind," Lilynette retorted plainly.

Sora flinched. "Uh, really?" He had never noticed anything that even implied Tōsen was blind. Though now that he looked at it, his visor might have been a dead giveaway.

Tōsen chuckled at the Keybearer's shock, lowering his blade. "It's alright, Sora." He reassured, "Your reaction is understandable. However, my blindness has yet to be a hindrance to me."

The spiky-haired boy took his word for it. "Alright, then. Let's do this."

"Very well." Tōsen replied, raising his sword again. Lilynette's eyes widened as Sora charged forward, quickly closing the gap between him and Tōsen. However, Tōsen raised the blade and blocked Sora's Keyblade from striking him. "Interesting." Tōsen noted, locking blades with Sora. "It appears you prefer making the first move against your opponent. However, it is also a reckless tactic."

"Oh yeah." the Keyblade wielder grinned. "I'm just getting started!" He made another move to attack Tōsen from the side, only for Tōsen to disappear. Sora realized he must have used that Flash Step again. But he soon sensed Tōsen behind him and reacted in time to block a downward strike from Tōsen's blade.

"Most impressive," Tōsen noted. "While you lack in speed, you make up for it with an excellent reaction time."

"You almost got me with that one." Sora said. "But it's still not enough." Sora ducked out of the way as Tōsen swung at him from the side of his head. He spun around to strike the Soul Reaper, only for Tōsen to move jump backwards and go in for a set of repeated slashes. Sora held his Keyblade up front to blocked it, though he gritted his teeth, struggling. He decided to try his fire magic, only for Tōsen to tilt his head to left, allowing the fireball to pass by. He moved in for a forward thrust, but he ducked underneath the blade, and slashed at Tōsen repeatedly, knocking him away.

"Whoa." Lilynette stared at the spar before her. While both opponents were clearly holding back, it was still impressive to see Sora holding his own against a captain like Tosen. She could also tell that Tōsen was slightly struggling to block Sora's attacks.

"Despite there being no rhythm to your movements, I can tell that you are an experienced fighter." Tōsen noted, which was true as Sora strike were just a flurry of attacks, which made it a bit difficult to predict his movement. "It seems you prefer a freestyle form of swordsmanship instead of a trained style."

"What can I say," Sora said. "Untrained is my specialty."

Tōsen charged forward for another attack, Sora directed his Keyblade forward. Instead of fire or ice, this magic energy was more…electric. _"Thunder!"_ He shot a bolt of lightning straight at Tōsen. Tosen, unable to dodge the speed of such attack, blocked it with his blade. His sword acted as a lightning rod, however the Soul Reaper gritted his teeth as he still felt the force of the electricity. Sora lowered his Keyblade, while Lilynette's visible eye became wider. This certainly was a new spell as she had never seen Sora use it before. Did it return to him with part of his memory?

"How was that?" he asked Tōsen, who managed to regain his composure, setting his zanpakutō down.

"You continue to impress me, Sora." Tōsen said with genuine praise. "I admit that if I had not blocked that technique, I would have felt the full force of that attack. Now it seems that I have to take things a little more seriously."

Not wanting to give the Soul Reaper time to retaliate, Sora charged to attack. Tōsen raised his forearm. Was he planning to block it with his hand?

"Bakudo #8: Seki!" Tōsen called out as an orb of light blue energy was generated from his hand. Sora didn't have enough time to stop as the moment his Keyblade made contact with the orb, he was repelled back.

"Hey!" Sora cried, sliding across the sand.

"This is Kidō," Tōsen explained. "More specifically, this was one of the Bakudō spells. Which repels all attacks."

"I get it." Sora grumbled, but couldn't help but be amazed. Lilynette just laugh. If it were her, there's no way she'd fall for an attack like that.

"Now then," Tōsen began. "Be prepared, as there are Soul Reapers who excel at advance Kidō spells." He lifted one of his arms. "Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"

A red ball of energy appeared in front of Tōsen hand and fired directly at the Keybearer. He barely dodged that attack, as it created a large hole on the wall behind him. _"_ _Whoa, if that had been me-"_ Sora shook his head, not wanting to think about it. And according to Tōsen, this was spell number 31, he hated to see just how powerful the level 90 spells are.

"What the hell you bastard!" Lilynette shouted, seeing the damage of the Hado spell. "What if that attack had actually killed him!?"

"The opponents he'll be fighting will not show any mercy towards him." Tōsen said. "Besides, I also wanted him to learn that Soul Reapers are more versatile than the appear."

Sora took this to consideration. He certainly had to make sure he didn't get caught in one of those Bakudo spells, or any Kidō spell at all. While his magic skills were strong, they wouldn't be enough to counter a high level Hado spell. He wondered if the there was a way for his magic spells to become more powerful.

"Now that we have covered the basic fighting styles of the Soul Reapers," Tōsen said. "It's time we move on to the next step. First, let me elaborate more on Shikai." He raised his blade. "Now, in order for a Soul Reaper to activate their Shikai, they must first say the name of their weapon, follow by a release incantation. Allow me to demonstrate." He leaped high into the air. "Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō."

Tōsen's Zanpakutō began vibrating and then he waved his sword around him in a semi-circle. Sora was soon shocked to see the blade had begun to leave a trail of other blades as it went. Was he making afterimages or something? However, after Tōsen made a trail of blades, he slashed the air and those trails then became hundreds of blades that were sent flying straight at the Keyblade wielder. Thinking quickly, Sora launched several ice attacks that contact the blades, knocking almost dozens of them out of the sky. Seeing this, Sora then concluded something. Those blades weren't just afterimages, they were replicas?! However, the Keybearer noticed the remaining blades were still raining down. Not having enough time to cast another spell, Sora jumped from one direction to another, dodging the blade copies. The spiky-haired boy was nicked three times, one on his back, right arm, and left cheek. While not enough to deal a severe damage, it still hurt.

Lilynette was also surprised seeing Tōsen' Shikai, as she had never seen it before. Come to think of it, none of the Arrancars had ever seen Tōsen or Gin's Shikai and Bankai. The only Shikai they had seen was Lord Aizen's. Of course, she was fuming at Tōsen for nearly endangering Sora's life again. Before she could lash out at him, the Keyblade wielder calmed her down.

"It's okay Lilynette." Sora assured her, "As strange as it is, I was kinda hoping for this. I can't have him going easy on me if I want to improve. I can see why Aizen chose him as my trainer."

Tōsen couldn't help but feel a bit of pride, "I'm proud to see that you are dedicated to your training. However, I feel I should inform you that what you had witnessed was one of my Shikai's abilities."

One of his abilities. Just how many does he have? "So, I guess now you're going to teach me about this Bankai, right?" Sora asked.

Tōsen shook his head. "Not until we get further in your training. Bankai is the most powerful ability a Soul Reaper can achieve. Be aware that the ones you will be facing are powerful enough that they will not resort to Bankai unless it is absolutely necessary."

Sora began wondering what Tōsen's Bankai was like. His Shikai alone was dangerous enough.

Then, the group heard the sound of clapping. They turned to see Aizen and Gin, who were both walking towards them. Gin was the one who had been clapping. "Bravo, Sora! Bravo! That was a fancy move you pulled off."

"Indeed." Aizen said and he sounded genuinely impressed. "You were able to find an opening in Kaname's blades and sense were the exact moment was to strike." He then looked over to Tōsen "Forgive us for interrupting the lesson Kaname." Aizen with a friendly smile. "I just couldn't resist seeing our guest in action."

"Though, looks like you guys are already underway," Gin said, looking at Sora, noticing some of the cuts on his body. Sora couldn't help but wonder how he could see with those narrow eyes of his. "You look like a wreck. Hope Kaname hasn't been going hard on you during the training?" He playfully asked.

"Sora does not mind the intensity of the training." Tōsen retorted, still holding on to his bruised chest. "He is aware of how much he has to improve if he is to fight the Soul Reapers. Besides, he's more than capable of handling himself. He was able to keep up with me during our spar."

"Whoa." Gin chuckled, thumb pointing at the spiky-haired boy. "This guy sure is full of surprises, right?"

"Indeed he is, Gin." Aizen said. "So tell me, based on the training, how do you think Sora measures up so far?"

"Sora has shown to be an experienced fighter, though he lacks a refined swordsmanship style." Tōsen said. "But I believe that is the main source of his peculiarity."

"Sora should be experienced," Lilynette spoke up. "He mentioned that he gained that Keyblade when he was only fourteen years old…"

This news certainly took the three Soul Reapers by surprise.

"Fourteen? A mere child?" Tōsen asked in amazement.

"By the way you look, you're no older than fifteen or sixteen." Gin observed, with an inquiring and playful tone in his voice. This caused the Keyblade wielder to take a step back. "So that means you've been using that key of yours for over a year or two. And considering how you lasted so far, gotta say, I'm impressed.

Sora chuckled sheepishly, uncertain if Gin was praising him or just joking around. Aizen however realized something. "If you remember when you learned to use the Keyblade, then am I to assume that your memories have returned."

"Not really." Sora said, "The only thing I remember are the first fourteen years of my life. I also remember the night I gained the Keyblade and the very first journey I ever took."

"When did you first begin to remember?" Tōsen asked.

Lilynette decided to fill them in on that. "It happened around yesterday. Sora began having a big headache. Starrk and I tried to see what was going on."

"After that it just went away." Sora continued. "Next thing I knew, I suddenly remember part of my life."

"I see." Aizen said, "Tell me Sora, did you come into contact with anything that might have triggered your sudden memory restoration?"

Sora got into a thinking posture. How did first part of his memories come back? The last thing he remembered was staring at this sea-shelled star charm and…

" _That's it_!" Sora reached for his pocket and pulled out the charm. "I was looking at this charm before my headache began."

"Yeah, that's right." Lilynette spoke up. "He was staring at that thing like he was in some sort of daze."

"It wasn't just that." Sora decided to tell them something else. "There were also other times, like my fight with Runuganga and Nnoitra were I experience small headaches. After they went away I learned more magic and sword techniques."

"Ah! That would explain it." Aizen understood. "For the most part, it appears that your memory resurfaces if you come in contact with a familiar object, or you are in a life or death situation."

Aizen went on, "I also came to another assumption, if you have been gaining more strength with each returning memory, then it's safe to believe that your recent memory loss has hindered your abilities."

"So, you think that the more I remember, the stronger I'll get?" Sora asked.

"Seems that way to me," Gin answered him. "And with the way you are now, it'd be surprising to see what you can do when you're at a hundred percent."

"And by continuing your training, there's a likely chance for your memories to return much faster." Aizen replied.

Well, Sora couldn't really argue with that logic. "I guess you're right."

Lilynette, who had just been watching the rest of the scene play out, couldn't help but wonder just how strong Sora really is. If he was powerful enough to fight against someone like the fifth Espada with dulled abilities, then there's no telling how powerful he'll become.

"Aside from your training, I'll continue sending you out on missions around Hueco Mundo. Hopefully, you'll become better acquainted with our world and remember somethings." Aizen stated.

"Lord Aizen." Gin said playfully. "I hear that there might be a few Hollows within the Forest of Menos that have been getting out of hand. Even the guardian's been having trouble controlling them."

Aizen looked over to the silver-haired Soul Reaper, "Just what are you suggesting Gin?"

"How about we send Sora over there to give them a hand." Gin suggested. "I'm sure he's tough enough to look after himself."

"You can't be serious Gin." Tōsen said, outright refusing. "The Forest of Menos is filled with abundance of Gillians and Adjuchas. You don't expect to Sora to fight against hundreds of…"

"I'll do it." Sora said, crossing his arms.

The four of them were very surprised to hear that from him.

"Are you sure?" Lilynette asked.

"Yeah. I'll admit those four were though," Sora said before smirking. "But I'm confident that I can handle them now."

Aizen couldn't help but smirk at Sora's bravado. "Wonderful. The kind of answer I'd expect from you."

"So, when do I start?" Sora asked, eager to go this forest.

"Before you go, you should finish your training first." Aizen said, "Let's continue to see how you fare well against Kaname." Aizen and Gin walked further away to observe Sora and Tōsen. Lilynette also joined the two at the sidelines.

Sora shook his head and held his Keyblade forward.

" **Second Form!** " Sora shouted as his body began to glow. Once the light died down, everyone saw that Sora's clothes changed into a darker version of his previous attire that Lilynette had seen before.

"My, what a neat trick." Gin said, amused. "A nice way to change clothes."

"I remember this form." Lilynette recalled. "Sora used it in his fight with Nnoitra. Not only did his clothes change, he also got some good powers with it."

Aizen look intrigued. "Really. Then this shall be interesting."

Though he could not see, Tosen could feel the surge of power emanating from Sora.

 _"With this form, I should be able to keep up with Tosen better than I could before."_ Sora thought as he assumed his natural fighting stance.

"Ready?" He asked Tōsen.

The Soul Reaper only responded by taking up his fighting stance. Sora charged forward right towards Tōsen with a forward thrust once again, to which he instinctively blocked. However, using the momentum, Sora jumped over Tōsen's head and landed behind him. While Tōsen was still recovering from the shock of the Keybearer getting behind him, Sora took advantage of that and struck Tōsen with several blows. He then decided to use his Sonic blade attack, however, Tōsen used Flash Step to block those attacks. Tōsen's sword struck Sora's arm, causing a slash mark to appear. While it hurt, the spiky-haired boy was nowhere near out of the fight. Tōsen and Sora went blow for blow, and they began locking blades, Tōsen delivered a straight kick on Sora's stomach area.

As Sora was sent flying back, Tōsen quickly readjusted himself and used his Shikai again. Instead of jumping high in the area, he swung his blade directly at Sora.

As the barrage of blades were coming at him, Sora made no attempt to dodge, instead he closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, as if time slowed down, Sora managed to locate that path of blades. Knowing where to attack, Sora made sure to block all those blades storms with his Keyblade.

* * *

"Interesting," Aizen said as he observed Sora swing his Keyblade to deflect all of Tōsen's rapid attacks. "Sora's senses are indeed quite sharp. Not just anyone is able to keep up with the speed of Kaname's soraihikō."

"This guy continues to impress me." Gin commented. "And that transformation of his is no joke. Almost works like a shikai. What's next, his Keyblade can transform like a Bankai."

Aizen would have replied, but soon became aware that they were not the only ones watching Sora's training session, "You can come out now, Szayelaporro."

Lilynette turned around and gasped when she saw Szayelaporro stepping out of the shadows himself.

"I knew I could never sneak past you, Lord Aizen." The Eighth Espada said with an irritating superior smile on his face.

"What the! You're here!?" She was not really fond of the Eight Espada, much more than Sora was.

"Why of course I am." Szayelaporro said, with rolling eyes. "I didn't want to miss witnessing young Sora in action." He soon smiled mischievously when he realized he wasn't the only one interested. "I see you two couldn't help yourselves as well."

Lilynette turned and gaped when she saw Halibel and Ulquiorra stepped out as well. "You're…"

"Well, well," said another voice, interrupting Lilynette. "Looks like you three were having a party and didn't invite me."

The four Arrancars looked to see Nnoitra behind them.

"Nnoitra." Halibel said with narrowed eyes. She was still angry of the way he attacked her Fracciónes. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing Halibel." Nnoitra scoffed.

"Will you two be quiet." Ulquiorra ordered. "You're disturbing Lord Aizen."

The Espada's turned over to Aizen and Gin. The latter who just smiled at their scuffle while the former had long noticed their presence, but said nothing. Until now…

"It seems Sora's getting tired," he told her. That got the other's attention and they continued to watch the fight.

* * *

Indeed, Sora was starting to were down. The more he kept blocking, the more it was becoming harder. Sora knew that he had to do something fast. During the attack, he noticed some of the blades were starting to dwindle. Seeing an opening in Tōsen. With that in mind, Sora pointed his Keyblade toward the Soul Reaper and narrowed his eyes to lock on.

" _ **Shotlock: King of Hearts!**_ " He shouted as he fired a barrage of heart-shaped projectiles at his opponent. However, Tōsen used Flash Step to evade the attack. Sora, having a feeling of where he would turn up turned around and shot a lightning spell at where Tōsen had just been standing. Tōsen, while caught off guard, quickly recovered and tilted his head left as the attack passed him and used Flash Step again.

"Not bad, Sora." Tōsen said, appearing just a few feet away from him. "You realized frontal attacks wouldn't work and so you moved on to long ranged attacks."

Sora may not have been the smartest person in the world but has a firm grasp when it comes to fighting. Just needs of few minutes of fighting and he can adapt well to his opponents fighting style and attacks.

"There's more where that came from." Sora told him as he held his Keyblade like he was blocking something.

Tōsen fired a Hadō spell at Sora again. When suddenly, the Keyblade produced a barrier of light that surrounded Sora's body. It instantly blocked Tōsen's kidō and caused it to recede back, where Tōsen was pushed back from the recoil. Before he could react, the barrier soon dispersed, unleashing a spray of light that hit the blind Soul Reaper. He held his arms out to block the attack but it still damaged him a bit.

* * *

"What a unique attack," Aizen said, his interest growing the more the fight went on. "And it certainly seems that Kaname won't be playing around anymore.

"So that shield not only protects him from attacks but also redirect a more powerful one back at the opponent." Szayelaporro observed as a glanced over to Nnoitra. "Doesn't that sound familiar eh, Nnoitra?"

Lilynette, Halibel, and Ulquiorra looked over at the Fifth Espada. Instead of sneer or snide remark, he just looked on emotionless.

"It does." was all he said. The Eighth Espada just smiled smugly, having a feeling of who he was thinking of.

* * *

"Impressive work, I will admit," Tōsen said, getting back up. "An attack I did not see coming. Hopefully, you kept more in reserve?"

"Why don't you find out!" Sora said as he fired two fireballs at Tōsen. But it didn't end there as Sora performed a Strike Raid attack. Tōsen countered the two fireballs but didn't expect the Strike Raid and was struck to right side. Deciding to stop playing around, Tōsen used Flash Step to appear right beside the Keyblade wielder, who barely had time to dodge roll as Tōsen swung his sword at him. At first Sora thought he was safe, but then Tōsen spun around at the last second and delivered a powerful kick that Sora blocked with his Keyblade. Before the blade struck him, Sora managed to perform a Ripple Drive which was enough to blast the blind Soul Reaper away from the Keybearer. However, Tōsen quickly recovered and charged straight ahead to stab Sora. The spiky-haired boy raised his Keyblade and instead of casting a reflect spell, the magic energy around him was much more…windy.

" _Aero!_ " He unleashed a large gust of wind that blow Tosen away. When the wind died down, a windy barrier surrounded him.

* * *

"Another barrier, huh." Gin said, intrigued.

"This one feels different than his previous one." Ulquiorra noted. Lilynette was confused but looked on as the fight continued.

* * *

Tōsen's blade was repelled. Regaining his composure, he heard Sora scream as he began expanding his wind barrier, causing it to spin with more pressure as powerful winds began emanating from Sora's body. As Sora stood tall and firm, the winds powerful pressure began blowing up a lot of the sand, effectively creating a sandstorm.

Sora charged and began locking blades with Tōsen. Said opponent raised his free hand to try and shield himself from the wind and sand. Since this shield protected him from physical attacks, the next option would be Kidō.

With their swords still connected, Tōsen shouted, "Hadō #11: Tsuzuri Raiden"

Tōsen generated an electric current through his blade, which had been touching Sora's as well. Soon, the Keyblade wielder was filled with an intense amount of electrical pressure. He realized that this must be what that Kidō spell does; anything or anyone which it comes into contact gets damaged by the current that runs through them.

Sora had to admit, if it wasn't for his _Aero_ spell, then he would've felt the full force of that attack. Seeing this, the spectators realized that this wind shield's power is to reduce the damage the user takes by half while it remains active. But Tōsen had little time to ponder as he had come to a decision. He looked over at Aizen, who immediately knew what he had in mind.

"Lord Aizen, is something wrong?" Halibel asked, noticing their silent exchange.

Aizen just chuckled, "Let's just say, we're taking precautions." Waving his hand, he ignited the at a single point. "Bakudō #73. Tozanshō!"

Soon, the spell formed a blue energy that extended upward to four points and formed an inverted pyramid. They realized that their leader had created a form of barrier around them. But why? What was about to happen that he needed to create a barrier. Lilynette looked over to Gin, who had that irritating smile, as if he knew what was about to happen.

"You did well to last this far, Sora." Tōsen commented. "However, now it is time I show you my true Shikai." Sora narrowed his eye and resumed his fighting stance, anticipating Tōsen next attack.

Meanwhile, even though this was a spar, Lilynette still couldn't help but feel concerned for her new friend. _Friend_. She felt confused as to why she suddenly cared for this Human who had just came into their midst. Maybe it was that story about how he went so far for a friend that turned against him. If it had been her then she would have considered him a lost cause. But not Sora. Sora was willing to go so far for his best friend and just the other day when he protected Halibel's Fracciónes from Nnoitra. No matter what, Sora would be there to help people in need. To be honest, that was the kind of person she and Starrk had longed for before Lord Aizen came along. While she still didn't know what a friend was, she considered Sora someone fun to be around. The young Arrancar returned her gaze to the match, hoping that what Tōsen was planning, Sora would have a trick up his sleeve.

Tōsen had pull his sword halfway off his sheath before saying the words. "Cry, Suzumushi!" Soon the alarms in Sora's had soon rang as he heard a loud high-pitched tone that seemed to have taken over a wide area. The Keyblade wielder soon began to see the entire world become black and white as he felt his hearing being overloaded. This must be Tōsen real Shikai; his Zanpakutō produces a high-pitched tone so loud it would render anyone in the range unconscious.

Sora soon began to feel his consciousness slip away. He needed to do something fast. Suddenly, he noticed the slash on his leg from his earlier battle. Taking a chance, he punched it with full force. The punch caused it to gush out some blood while Sora screamed in pain. His body being filled with nothing but that sensation. This certainly did the trick as soon his vision became clear and the sound soon stopped.

* * *

Needless to say, the spectators were impressed.

"I don't believe it," Gin said with a mocked surprised tone. "He actually stopped Kaname's Shikai."

"He attacked his own injury which caused the sensation to nullify the sound." Ulquiorra said. Though he didn't show it, the Fourth Espada was impressed. "A pragmatic solution if I must say."

"Sora certainly is an interesting person." Halibel commented. "Even I may have had difficulty in dealing with that kind of power."

"And with those magic spells at his disposal, it only makes him more formidable." Szayelaporro said in glee, "If Sora continues to tease me like this, I don't know if he can control myself."

Nnoitra just scoffed. "Yeah. Yeah. The kid's great." He said sarcastically. "But he won't be for long."

Lilynette was unable to hide her smile. So, he did have a trick up his sleeve after all. She may have doubted him at first but after this, she felt that Sora could take on just about anything.

Aizen had just looked on. He had to admit that it was a gamble to see if Sora could withstand the intense vibration from Tōsen Suzumushi. But it seems that it paid off. _"Sora, you never cease to amaze me. Just as I expected."_

* * *

Much like the others, Tōsen was both impressed and surprised that someone had managed to nullify his Shikai. However, noticing that Tōsen had his guard down, Sora decided it was time to strike. He produced a green light from his Keyblade and placed it on his wound. This caused the bruise to go down and the cut to close. So, Sora had an ability similar to Kaido as well. Regaining his senses, Tōsen switched to soraihikō. However, Sora was ready for it this time. He first knocked a few of the blades out of the way with a swing, then he swung horizontally and knocked away several of them, finally he did a back flip and landed in time to deflect the remaining ones away. He then got in reach of Tōsen, who had been caught off guard. Sora took the initiative and utilized his Zantetsuken attack. Before the Soul Reaper could react, Sora struck pass Tōsen with immense speed, striking him in the mid-section.

"Not as effective as your Shikai but it's one way of beating enemies." Sora said as his Second Form deactivated.

"I think that's enough for now." Aizen said, looking rather amused by the whole thing. The two stopped and looked towards him. "That was a splendid first day of training. But I don't want you two getting carried away."

"It's okay." Sora spoke up. "I'm still able to fight."

"Of that I have no doubt." Aizen said. "But remember you have a mission to do. And besides, with the guests we have here, this presents us with an excellent opportunity."

"Huh?" Sora then noticed that a few of the Espada had gathered nearby, no doubt watching the spar between him and Tōsen. Among them were, Szayelaporro, Nnoitra, Ulquiorra and Halibel.

"It seems they could not resist seeing you in action," Aizen said to the Keybearer before looking back at some of his Espada with a smile. "Well, what do you think of our guest now that you've seen what he can do?"

Szayelaporro was looking at the spiky-haired boy with a wide smile and half-closed eyes. The look made a shiver go down said boy's spine. "I already saw Sora as a fascinating person and my opinion only strengthens with every fight I see him endure. Would you mind if I studied you and your weapon some time, Sora? I'd love to learn more about it."

After hearing of what he does to his Fracciónes, he had a nasty feeling that told him not to get involved with Szayelaporro's experiments.

Nnoitra just said nothing, shooting Sora a nasty sneer that clearly meant he was determined to finish the fight between them.

"I see," Aizen said. "And what is your opinion of him Ulquiorra?" At his words, Sora looked over at the Fourth Espada.

Ulquiorra stared at the Keyblade wielder with void eyes, causing Sora to start feeling a little bit unsettled. Ulquiorra stared at him for a few more seconds before looking back at Aizen.

"He is interesting," Ulquiorra surmised. "While the powers of his Keyblade are noteworthy, his true strength lies in how well he uses it. Along with his ability to adapt to his opponent's style of fighting. It shows that, despite his brash nature, he also possesses tactical prowess."

Sora could see that Ulquiorra was one of the most analytical member of the Espada. And judging by some of the surprise looks, it meant that he rarely ever acknowledges a person's power.

"I would have to agree with Ulquiorra," was all Halibel had to say.

Nnoitra shot her a look. "How do we know you're not just saying that because he protected your Fracciónes?"

Halibel narrowed her eyes at him, obviously not forgiving him for harming Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun.

"That's enough." Aizen told them. The two Espada looked away from each other as Aizen turned his attention back to sora. "I too can see Ulquiorra's point. His tenacity, combined with Sora's own resourcefulness, puts him on a league of his own."

"Thanks." Sora said, "I gotta admit though that the Keyblade has helped a lot ever since I began my journey."

"Hmm," Aizen scratched his chin, something coming to mind. "Tell me, have you been in a situation where you were without a Keyblade?"

Sora rubbed his arm, he didn't want to say this, especially with Nnoitra around. However, he didn't want to leave him without an answer. "Only once." He muttered, recalling one point where he lost his Keyblade and was left powerless against the Heartless for a time. "However, I can still cast spells without it. Besides, the Keyblade comes back to my hand when I recall it." Or if someone tries to take it from him.

"Hmm," Aizen said again as he took this in. "Care to demonstrate."

Sora was confused by this, but decided to follow him. He threw his Keyblade a few inches away from him. Before he could re-summon it, Aizen appeared in front of him and suddenly knock him flat on his back.

This certainly surprised the others, except Nnoitra, who grinned at the sight. "L-lord Aizen" Lilynette barely spoke.

"It appears to also be a risk, Sora." Aizen said. "If our enemies were to discover this, then like what I just did, they would not hesitate to strike you down before you have a chance to summon your Keyblade again. Perhaps I can have Kaname teach you Hakuda. A little self-defense that can help you fend off Soul Reapers long enough for you to recall your Keyblade."

Sora, having gotten up from being knocked down, had mixed feelings about this. He wasn't really much of a fist fighter but Aizen made a decent point.

"However," Aizen turned towards Tōsen's direction, "I would like for you to teach Sora only the exercise methods of Hakuda. As you said before, Sora lack of a refined style is his peculiarity."

"What do you have in mind, sir?" Tōsen asked.

"The exercise method is meant to sharpen oneself without the use of forms or techniques." Aizen explained. "Hopefully, through this, he can develop his own personal style."

This certainly interested Sora. He didn't know what to expect from this kind of training. "All the same, you continue to impress me, sora," Aizen said warmly.

Sora couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "Yeah well, I should be thanking Tōsen for the training."

"Your quite welcome." Tōsen said, "I'm too am impressed with your resourcefulness and strategic skills. This was certainly the first time anyone has ever used pain to counter Suzumushi. Of course, this means I can afford to hold back less during our training."

Aizen then looked over at Gin. "And what do you think of him, Gin?"

"I'd say he meets my expectations." Gin said before looking at Sora. "Though if this were a real fight, he'd stand no chance against me with my Bankai."

This certainly got Sora's attention. He couldn't help but wondered what their Bankais were like.

Aizen looked over to Sora "Now that your training is over for today, you should get started for your mission. However, if you wish to rest…"

"No, I'm good." Sora reassured as he started to stretch his legs. "That match was intense but like I said, I still have a lot left in me. This should be a good way to release it."

Some of them were a bit dumbfounded at Sora's remark, "Hmm. You seem to be filled with boundless energy." Halibel said what was one her mind.

"Gotta admit, this kid's a riot." Gin laughed, "I am so glad he came here."

Szayelaporro nodded. "He's certainly has livened things up around here."

Aizen just chuckled, "Well then, you better get started. Before you do." he handed Sora a rolled-up paper, "Take this map. It has direction that will surly guide you to the Forest of Menos."

The spiky-haired boy took the map and placed it on his back pocket. With that Sora left. Not before hearing Lilynette call out to him. "Hey Sora."

Sora turned over to see the young Arrancar look at him with a neutral expression. "What is it Lilynette? You wanna come along?"

Lilynette shook her head. "No not really. Besides, I think Lord Aizen just recommended you." She looked away for a few moments before turning to face him, where she smiled. "Just watch your back okay."

Sora returned the smile. "You got it." With that, Sora moved on to the Forest of Menos.

As Sora grew farther and farther, Aizen turned over to the other Espada. "Now that you are all here," Aizen said to some of his Espada, changing the subject. "I would like for all of the Espada to report to the meeting room. There are somethings I wish to discuss."

The four Espadas looked at their leader curiously. What could Aizen want to talk to them about? Aizen simply smiled at the curiosity and confusion.

"All will be made clear." he told them cryptically.

Seeing that was all their leader was going to tell them, the rest of the Espada dispersed. As they left, Aizen turned towards Lilynette.

"I will make sure the others are notified about the meeting. Would it be alright if you went to get Starrk?"

"Of course, Lord Aizen!" Lilynette said. She looked on over to where Sora was before heading back to get her partner.

* * *

Starrk was busy laying down on his cot, catching up on some well-deserved sleep. Things have been a little quite with Lilynette and Sora gone. While he was satisfied to be undisturbed, he couldn't help but miss those two. Though he wouldn't have to wait long.

"HEY Starrrrrk!" Lilynette had slammed her hand into Starrk's mouth.

"Gaaaaaahhh!" Starrk immediately got up and pulled Lilynette off of him. Lilynette landed safely and laughed as Starrk massaged his throat and breathed heavily. He scowled as he looked on to the grinning girl.

"Oh great, your back." He mumbled. "What do you want?"

"Get movin'," Lilynette said. "Lord Aizen wants you and the other Espada at the meeting room."

Starrk raised an eyebrow, "The meeting room. What does he want to go over?"

"You'll find out when you get there." She said firmly. "Now get goin'!"

Starrk sighed, deciding to go see what their leaders wants. However, as he started exiting the room, he noticed that a certain someone wasn't here.

"Where's Sora?" he asked.

"Oh, Lord Aizen sent him on a mission to the Forest of Menos." Lilynette informed.

"By himself." Starrk said dumbfounded.

"Sora can handled himself." She replied smiling as she recalled his training.

Starrk noticed that. "I guess the training went well, uh?"

"Hell yeah!" Lilynette said raising her arms as emphasis. "You should have seen it, Sora was all over the place. The way he handled Tōsen was awesome. Hell, Lord Aizen and even the other Espadas were impressed."

"Well, considering that he traveled a lot when going through so many worlds, you think he probably be used to this." Starrk also decided to say something else, "By the way, I noticed that you've been getting close to him. Never thought that would happen, especially since he's Human."

The First Espada expected Lilynette to lash out on him, but strangely she didn't. She leaned against the wall, with her hands behind her head.

"Hmm, well, at first I didn't have any opinion on him." She admitted. "But after seeing him fight Nnoitra, I started getting curious. Hearing all his adventures just made it grow more. But, I gotta admit that he's really nice and for some reason, it feels fun being around him." She looked over at him. "Don't you think?"

Starrk had recalled a similar feeling he had after their first mission. Sora was something else, though he decided not to say anything on that. "Arrancars like us aren't really used to things like fun or kindness. Maybe that what you see in him." He guessed as her stepped out.

Lilynette just laid down and stared up at the ceiling. Contemplating Starrk's words, "Maybe I do."

* * *

An hour had past and Sora was becoming greatly annoyed. He had following the map that Aizen gave him with directions to the Forest of Menos. Surprisingly, there was a passage from within the dorm that lead him to a long corridor. This was obviously the passage-way to the forest. For the most part, Sora had been following this corridor for a long time and has made little progress in getting close to the exit.

"Man. Just how long is this hallway anyways? You think by now I'd at least come across an exit or something."

However, Sora would have to wait no longer. He came across a dead end.

"Is this the exit?" Sora looked over to see if there were any handles, switch, keyhole, anything to see if there was an opening. While looking, the boy noticed that the dead end was a little ragged. As if someone placed a large object to block this opening. Deciding to find out, Sora grabbed on to the end, and, with all his might, moved to see that it was a bolder that was blocking the entrance.

Stepping out, Sora gaped at what he saw. True to Aizen's word, the was a forest but not like a regular forest. The trees here were much larger than the ones back on the islands and they were colored silver. The extended so high that he couldn't even see the end.

While impressed, Sora shock his head, remembering his mission.

"Right, I got to look for those unruly Hollows." Sora looked around, not seeing anything. He sighed. "Well, better start looking."

With that, Sora kept on moving. Unknown to him, there was someone hiding behind one of the large silver trees, watching Sora closely before running off.

As Sora continued wandering around, a large group of Menos suddenly came down from the trees and began surrounding Sora.

Sora looked to see that they were a dozen or so surrounding him. He summoned his Keyblade and said, "Well...this made finding you a lot easier." Sora took his fighting stance, with an excited smile on his face. After his fight with Nnoitra and Tōsen, he was confident that he could take on these hollows. He just had to remember his training.

Seeing two that were near him, he ran at the pair, slicing them in half. The Menos next to him tried to fire a Cero while the other leapt towards him. Sora counter the first one with a reflect, causing the Cero to repel back at the Menos, destroying it. The other one, Sora effortlessly side-stepped and then used a Strike Raid to kill it.

He then used a combination of three fire spells that he fired at three other Menos, reducing them to ash, and he destroyed the other Menos by incasing it an ice, where it shattered.

Two more Menos managed to jump high in the air, rearing their claws back. Sora however, used his wind shield _Aero_ , to protect himself. While at the same time, causing the sharpness of the wind to attack the Menos, destroying them.

Finally, the last two Menos attempted to fire two ceros at the same time but Sora used one of his strongest sword technique, Zantetsuken, to finish them both.

With all of them gone, Sora took a deep breath of air, as he called off his Keyblade. "Will I guess that takes care of them. But still, I thought these hollows would at least put up a decent fight like those other four. Oh well."

However, the was another Menos hiding behind one of the trees. Seeing all the others were dead and the Human had his guard down, it decided to take the initiative. The Menos jumped out and managed to get behind the spiky-haired boy without giving away its presence. However, Sora quickly sensed it and turned around.

The Menos prepared to fire a big red cero. However, before it could even finish, a man jumped off the tree and slice the Menos in half. Sora watched in surprise. He had been ready to attack the Menos but the man already took care of that.

After the Menos disappeared, Sora got a good look at the man. He was carrying a Zanpakutō. He was wearing a Hollow mask that resembled a gazelle. He also had a fur coat, consisting of other Hollow masks, that draped over himself. Underneath it, he had a black Shihakushō with no footwear.

Looking over at the mysterious masked person, Sora smiled and said, "Thanks for saving me. My name is Sora. What's yours?"

The mysterious figure turned to face Sora. He stared at him, wondering if he should answer or not. After waiting a few more seconds, he decided to remove his mask. When it was off, Sora could see that this mysterious person was a man with red unkempt hair that was even spikier than his. He also had a very serious expression on his face.

The new man replied. "My name… is Ashido Kanō."

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Nothing much changes, however as you saw in my previous chapter, I decided to include Sora's abilities from Kingdom Hearts III, such as Shotlock. He currently has access to Second Form only, which let's him use his past abilities. His magic is still Fire, Water, Cure, Blizzard, Thunder, and Aero, though Aero works as it did in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (deals offensive damage but then forms a defensive barrier).**_ _ **Reflect works more like a blocking barrier similar to Riku and Aqua. However, Stop will make it's return. As for the Formchange power, that will return, though you'll have to see how.**_ _ **I still plan for Ashido to join the battle, so that part hasn't changed.**_

 _ **Next Time: Sora meets Ashido Kanō and learns of his past. Meanwhile, Sora can't help but wonder if Aizen truly plans to bring good change or if he has a more alternative motive. Please review, but don't flame.**_


	5. Ashido Kanō!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Here's the fifth chapter as promised. I don't own Bleach or Kingdom Hearts.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 5: "Ashido Kanō! The Lone Soul Reaper!"**_

A few seconds have passed and Sora stood there starring at the man known as Ashido Kanō. He didn't know who he was and come to think of it, did Aizen know about him? Gin mentioned a guardian of the Forest of Menos. Could he be the one he mentioned?

Looking around, Ashido put his mask back on and said, "It's not safe here kid. We should get out of here. Follow me to my hideout."

Hearing the roaring sounds from the distances, the Keyblade wielder nodded his head in agreement. Before he could start walking, the unknown man suddenly placed his arm over his waist and carried him like a duffel bag.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Sora said as he was squirming. "Let me go!"

"Sorry kid but I think it'd be faster if I carried you there." Ashido said without looking. With that, the mysterious man carried Sora and began jumping from tree to tree, going deeper into the Forest of Menos.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of Hueco Mundo, four Adjuchas were laying around inside a cave, next to a red fire. Suddenly, they sensed an unknown spiritual pressure.

" **Someone's arrived in the forest."**

" **Do you think it's** _ **him**_ **again?"**

" **No. This spirit energy doesn't feel like a Soul Reaper or Arrancar."**

" **What should we do?"**

One of the Adjuchas got up from the ground, drawing attention from the others. The mysterious Adjucha chuckled. **"Oh? Things seem to be getting exciting."**

* * *

"I see. This is quiet a peculiar event."

In the world of Radiant Garden, Riku was in the laboratory discussing the current situation with two male scientist.

One of them was an older man with bright orange eyes, long, blond hair that was slicked back, and a short mustache and goatee. He wore a periwinkle lab coat, with a dark grey vest, white collared shirt, and a violet ascot underneath, as well as black pants and shoes. He also draped a red scarf over his shoulders. This man is Ansem the Wise, the current Sage-King of Radiant Garden.

Next to him was a young man with steel-blue hair with long bangs that obscure the right side of his face, leaving left eye visible. He wears a white lab coat over a black, V-neck top with a white collar and purple ascot. He also wear navy blue pants as well as the knee-high silver-trimmed boots. He is Ienzo, one of Ansem the Wise's apprentices.

"What you are saying is that Sora used the power of waking to find Kairi and hasn't returned since then." Ienzo surmised.

Riku nodded. "That's right. Right now, everyone has gone to search the worlds Sora has been to see if they can find any leads to where he's at."

"And you're hoping that Kairi is with him." Ienzo said. He looked deep in thought before saying. "And how can you be sure you'll find them."

"Xion believes so." He said. "She said she was sure that neither of their hearts have been lost."

"That is correct." Ansem spoke. "Xion was constructed as a imperfect replica of Roxas and created through Sora's memories of Kairi. As such, it is not unreasonable to consider that she holds a strong connection to each of them."

"But it's not enough for you to go on." A new voice said.

Riku turned and to see another man entering the room. He sports platinum blond hair, worn long with two slightly shorter bangs that frame his face and bright green eyes. His outfit consisted of a long black coat with sleeves that partially covered his hands, which were covered with dark gloves. The robe goes down to his dark boots like a gown. He is known as Vexen, the Nobody of Even and a former member of Organization XIII.

Vexen sported a neutral expression as he walked over to the other three. "I will admit that my knowledge of the power of waking is relative at best. But from what I gathered from Xehanort is that overusing it can strain the heart. Which will lead it to be lost in the deepest darkness. How can you not be sure that his existence hasn't-"

"I know." The silver-haired boy interrupted. "Mickey told us that overusing the power of waking can come at a high price." Riku looked determined. "But Sora's not the type of person to lose himself easily, especially with Kairi as his light. I know the strength of his heart, so I believe in him."

The blond nobody remained silent for a moment before chuckling. "Humanity truly is a precious gift. Perhaps I have been spending too much time with the Nobodies."

"Since we're on the subject, there's something I wish to ask." Ienzo said as he turned to his fellow colleague. "Why is it that you're still a Nobody? With Xehanort vanquished, I would have thought you'd return as Even."

"Unfortunately, re-completing myself won't be as easy, unless my Nobody is eradicated." Vexen informed before saying. "And given our circumstance, I still have more to accomplish."

Everyone turned over to see a blank figure laying on top a surgical bed.

"Naminé." Riku said.

"Aside from Sora's disappearance, I still have to complete my task in restoring her." He then looked down. "Whatever it takes to atone."

Ansem looked at his apprentice with empathy, before placing a hand on his shoulder. "You are not alone, Even. We all care sins of the past. Some of which are reprehensible. But what matters is our own power to move forward."

"Master Ansem is right." Ienzo walked over. "You have done good in restoring Roxas, something I couldn't have done without your help. Regardless if you're a Nobody or not, you're still Even."

Touched by their words, Vexen smiled in gratitude before looking over to Riku. "Concerning Sora, do you know of a way we can help?"

"There is." Riku said. "Tell me, how were you able to send Roxas body over to the Keyblade Graveyard."

"Well it wasn't easy at first." The young scientist said. "With the data we placed in the replica's body, it suddenly began to hone in on another life energy. My guess is that it was the data that was responding to Roxas's heart. Once we determined the location, the rest is self-explanatory."

The Sage-King knew what Riku had in mind. "You intend to use the Naminé's data to determine Kairi's location."

"Yes, and if Sora is with her, then it'll make everything easier." The silver-haired boy confirmed.

"That does sound probable." Vexen stated. "With the data of Naminé contained in the simulated Twilight Town, once it's been placed in the replica it should begin responding to her heart."

"So, it can be done?" Riku said, hopefully.

"If all works well then it can." Ansem responded. "However, recovering Naminé's data will take time. For now, inform your friends of this matter."

"We'll call you if anything happens. You should do the same if you've found any leads on Sora's location." Ienzo advised.

"Right. Thank you." Riku said, however another thing came to mind. "By the way, do any of know what happened to Isa?"

"Unfortunately, we haven't had much luck finding him." Ienzo said. "Dilan and Aeleus are still searching the town but otherwise, there have been no sign of him or Braig, the one you knew as Xigbar."

"We will continue our search, as you should do with yours." Ansem advised as Riku nodded. However, unknown to anyone, Vexen looked away in silence, before cautiously leaving through the other exit.

* * *

Back in the forest, after traveling for a half hour, Sora and Ashido finally arrived to Ashido's hideout. It appeared to be some sort of cave that Ashido was currently staying at.

After entering, Sora saw that there wasn't anything much in here. Just a couple of moss with fungus growing. However, when the boy looked up, he was surprised to see a ball of light floating in the air.

"Woah!" Sora continued looking up. "What is that? Looks like a sun."

"It's a ball of light I made from Kidō." Ashido replied leaning against a rock. "It helps bring light into this place."

Sora couldn't help but wonder if Aizen did the same thing when he built the dome inside Las Noches. Aizen's was able to cover entire landscapes while Ashido's covered the cave. Sora couldn't help but wounder how powerful Aizen was.

Ashido removed his mask and faced Sora. "I don't know how a Human like you ended up here in Hueco Mundo, let alone a kid, but I suggest that you leave soon. This is a fierce forest. It isn't safe here for the weak."

The Spiky-Haired boy couldn't help but glare at the mysterious man. If there was one thing he hated more than being called a kid, was people underestimating him because of his personality and age. But of course, Sora would end up proving them that he shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Thanks for your concern, but I can handle myself." Sora replied confidentiality.

Ashido shook his head as he heard this. "The Hollows you killed back there were just fodder. More are going to come and they won't be easy to kill."

"Yeah well," Sora thumped his chest as an emphasis. After facing people like Nnoitra and Tōsen, he was confident that these Menos wouldn't be an issue. "I'll just have to prove you wrong."

Ashido stared into Sora eyes, not seeing any form of arrogance in his words. It was conviction. This human child certainly reminded him of someone. "Whatever you say kid. Just try not to get in a jam."

Sora nodded his head determinedly in response. Soon, Sora leaned against another rock and said, "By the way, thanks for helping me out back there Ashido."

Ashido nonchalantly waved off Sora's thanks. "Don't mention it kid, I'm just doing my job: Killing every Hollow I can find to prevent them from entering the Soul Society."

Hearing that caused Sora's eyes to widen. "Soul Soci…" he looked over to Ashido. "Wait a minute. Ashido, are you a…Soul Reaper?"

"That's right." Ashido replied, though was surprised he knew about the Soul Reapers.

At the same time, Sora began to grow tense as he heard this. The Soul Reapers. The very same people Aizen was talking about. The ones how had become corrupted over the years. And the same people he was about to go up against. Now, one of them was standing right in front of him at this very moment.

" _But why is a Soul Reaper doing here? Does Aizen know about this? Does he even know about Aizen?"_ Sora looked over to Ashido and decided. " _He doesn't look dangerous and he saved me back there. I think it's better if I stay with him a little longer. Maybe I'll find out something useful about him."_

Ashido then decided to ask Sora what was on his mind. "By the way kid, I can tell that you're not a Soul Reaper. So, what's that big key-shaped sword you were just using to kill all those Hollows?"

Sora looked over to Ashido, wondering if he should tell him about the Keyblade. He saved him so he did deserve to know that much. But then again, if he told him then it might compromise his alliance with Aizen. So, for now, the Keybearer decided to keep quiet about this matter. Just until he's finished inspecting the rest of the Menos Forest. Of course, he wondered if he should tell Aizen about Ashido in the forest.

But before he could ponder any longer, Ashido immediately stood up and said, "I'm detecting several spiritual pressures appearing around this area." Sora stood up as he began sensing the spiritual energies as well. Ashido quickly halted as his eyes widened.

"Crap, Gillians." He whispered.

Right after that, he ran out of the cave, not bothering to say a word to Sora.

"Hey, Ashido, wait up!" Sora yelled as he began following him. He arrived at the entrance where the red-haired Soul Reaper stood. Following his gaze, the Keyblade wielder looked down to see that they were surrounded by a rather large group of Hollows.

However, next to them were a dozen rather strange looking Hollows. They basically towered to at least 2-6 stories tall, easily dwarfing all of the Menos. They all looked the same as they had a white mask with an elongated nose. Their bodies were covered in a sort of black cloak that covered their heads all the way to their feet. Around their neck were rows of thin white spikes.

It took a while for Sora to figure out that these must have been the Gillians that Starrk and Ashido mentioned. And to think that they're were considered the foot soldiers.

Nevertheless, Sora ran over to Ashido's side and drew his Keyblade, resuming his natural fighting stance.

"What the hell are you doing here kid!" Ashido asked, both shocked and annoyed. "I can handle these bastards on my own. I don't need your help!"

Sora glared at him and said, "Yeah well this isn't your fight either. You're outnumbered and outmatched so I'm going to help. After all, I'm not the kind of person who just leaves people behind."

Ashido looked at the spiky-haired boy, giving off a surprised expression which he quickly changed with a more serious one. "Just don't get in my way." He said as he jumped down.

"Same to you." Sora retorted as he soon followed.

One of the Menos jumped in the air, raising its claws, hoping to injure Sora. However, Sora sliced off its fingers off and then proceeded to slice the hollow in half.

Three of the Gillians fired three simultaneous Ceros at Ashido. Ashido soon held his sword horizontally. "Hadō #32. Ōkasen!" Ashido shouted, generating a yellow orb, which widened itself along the length of his sword. Once it is fully charged, he fired a wide, horizontal arc of yellow energy at that repelled all the ceros with ease until it finally obliterated the three Gillians.

However, two more Gillians attempted to attack from behind. Which proved futile as Ashido used Flash Step and killed the two Gillians. Five Menos came running Sora, who just entered Second Form and swiftly killed two of them. The third repeatedly tried to punch Sora, only for him to block each of them. Soon, he released a form of energy that was different from Ripple Drive. The dome around him was orange and not only did it knocked back the Hollows, but stunned them. This technique was known as " _Stun Impact_ ". With quick strikes, Sora finished them off.

 _"Hmm…Guess the kid's got more skill then I thought."_ Ashido thought to himself.

Pretty soon, more Gillians and Menos were coming at the duo. As Sora began sending them off, Ashido knew that if they continued like this, then there would be a chance _they_ would appear. Individually, they weren't a problem but together, they could pose a threat. So, he decided to use a powerful attack to drive them all away. He yelled out, "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" Ashido held up his left hand and yellow spiritual energy formed an orb on his palm. "Hadō #63. Raikōhō!"

Then, the orb fired at the hollows with a massive concentrated strike of energy, creating a huge explosion in the process.

Sora looked in surprise as he saw this. However, there were still a few more Hollows left. A cocky smirk appeared on Sora's face. "Well, looks like it's time for me to use this attack." The remaining Hollows jumped in the air and before Ashido could follow, Sora jumped up to the enemy and focused all his energy.

" _ **Shotlock Max:** **Ragnarok!**_ " He shouted as he began charging energy into his Keyblade. Then, Sora proceeded to fire a cluster of energy shots from the tip of his Keyblade and took out all the group of Hollows.

Sora and Ashido jumped to each other's side as a Gillian appeared from the sands. Not feeling intimidated, Ashido faced Sora and asked. "Ready to end this?"

"Yeah right I am." Sora replied.

The two then jumped away from each other and sliced the Gillian from the head and waist, where it disappeared into ash. Seeing the battle scarred forest and no sign of Hollows, the team of Sora and Ashido won the battle.

Sora summoned his Keyblade away and returned to normal. He turned to Ashido with a big grin on his face. "Well, we sure make a good team, don't we?" Sora asked.

Ashido chuckled while closing his eyes, "I'll admit you did pretty good kid, and your skills with that blade are impressive. Who knows, with your power, you'd probably be a match for a seated officer, maybe even a Lieutenant."

The red-haired Soul Reaper opened his eyes again, looking serious. "That being said, we're not out of the woods yet. That last scuffle should have alerted that damned guardian." Hearing that word caused Sora to see that he was talking about the real guardian Gin mentioned. Then that meant Ashido really wasn't the guardian.

Ashido sheathed his Zanpakutō back and walked off and said. "Follow me kid. I'll show you a way outta here. Hopefully, we won't run into anymore Gillians or Adjuchas."

Sora looked over to where Ashido was reluctantly agreed to his offer. With that, the Keyblade wielder began to follow Ashido to wherever the exit to the forest was.

* * *

"Welcome," Aizen said warmly. "My dear Espada."

Once again, all the Espada were gathered around at the table in Aizen's meeting room. Some, like Baraggan and Grimmjow looked annoyed to have been called here so suddenly. While others like Yammy were uninterested, though came to hear what Aizen had to say.

"Before we begin, it seems that after what happened the other day, I must set up some rules regarding our young guest, Sora." Aizen said.

Everyone listened intently. Starrk and Harribel noticed Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Szayelaporro, and Aaroniero paying close attention to Aizen. This didn't really surprise them as they knew they had taken a keen interest in Sora ever since his arrival in Hueco Mundo.

"Sora has proven to be full of surprises," Aizen continued. "His powers with the Keyblade are unlike anything I have ever seen. And yet, I am fairly certain that we have not yet witnessed the full extent of Sora's true power."

"You do have a point, Lord Aizen." Szayelaporro agreed. "The mere thought of Sora's abilities send shivers down my spine. It's too bad he has yet to unleash that potential."

"Yet to unleash…" Zommari repeated, "do you mean that there is something that is restricting Sora's from using his full power?"

"During Sora's training, he confessed that a part of his memories was restored." Aizen informed the others. "And following the restoration, it allowed Sora access to some of his abilities as he demonstrated during his fight with Nnoitra."

Nnoitra just snarled while Grimmjow noticed this and smirked. "So that explains how he nearly beat you back there."

Nnoitra growled at him. But at that moment, Aizen spoke.

"You were the one who attacked his comrades, Nnoitra," he said. "It is only natural for Sora to defend them. You should remember never to underestimate you opponents."

" **Wait!** " Aaroniero said. " **Do you mean** … _Sora defeated Nnoitra?"_

"I stepped in before things got outta hand." Starrk explained. "But from the way things where it looked like the fight was pretty even."

Halibel nodded. "My Fracciones are witnesses to that."

Grimmjow laughed at Nnoitra. "Man, if you couldn't even kill a kid like Sora, then what the hell are you doing being the fifth Espada?"

Nnoitra shot his glare at Grimmjow now he was about to say something to him but Baraggan spoke now.

"Are you trying to say that your little pet has the potential of being as strong as the rest of us?" He asked, looking like he was struggling not to shout. Aizen turned his smile at Baraggan.

"Sora has proven capable of holding his own against one of my Espada and held his own against Kaname during today's training."

"Though the loss of his memories has hindered his abilities." Ulquiorra noted. "It is safe to assume that if he were to continue to fight, then his memories should return in time."

"But the fact that Sora-boy was capable of holding his own against one of the top Espada in a weak state is nothing short of impressive for an ordinary human." Gin said with a cock of his head.

Szayelaporro laughed. "It's very obvious that Sora is far from a mere human." he said. "But there is one thing that has been on my mind."

"What would that be?" Halibel asked.

"Sora shouldn't be the only Keyblade wielder out there." Szayelaporro answered. "It makes you wonder if there are other Keyblade wielders that he may know about. What if they were made aware of his sudden disappearance?"

For once, that was something that all the Espada agreed on. If there was a remote chance that Sora knew any other Keyblade wielders out there, then if Sora disappeared, what's to stop them from tracking him to their world and coming here. Not that they were scared, as those like Nnoitra, Grimmjow, and Yammy smirked at the thought of fighting more Keyblade wielders. Szayelaporro fantasied about experimenting on all of them.

"I have given the matter some thought." Aizen told him. "Fortunately, this world and the Soul Society remain separated from the outside worlds. So even if they did notice his disappearance, it would be impossible for them to arrive in Hueco Mundo unless they have knowledge of the Garganta."

Aizen went on. "Since that matter has been resolved, I have a far more important one at the moment." All the Espada began listening more intently.

"Today," Aizen continued. "I would like for Ulquiorra and Yammy to go to Karakura Town. I want them to examine the one known as Ichigo Kurosaki."

"As you wish, Lord Aizen," Ulquiorra said while Yammy merely nodded in boredom.

"Also," Aizen said. "Starrk, I want you to make sure that Sora does not find out about this under any circumstance."

Starrk sighed. "Fine." He felt uncomfortable about lying to their guest. He just hoped Lilynette will comply.

Aizen continued, "The same goes for everyone."

While everyone agreed, there was something that came to Halibel's mind. "Wait, is the reason why you sent Sora to the Menos Forest was so he would not here of this?"

Aizen's smug smile grew hearing that, "It's better he does not hear of Ichigo Kurosaki until the moment is right."

That didn't really answer her question.

"Such a shame really." Szayelaporro said with a shake of his head. "If only Sora knew what we were up to, then he'd be less willing to cooperate."

"That is merely because Sora has not seen the cruelty of the Soul Reapers." Zommari said solemnly.

"Oh please, like you're one to talk, Zommari." Grimmjow said. "If he wasn't useful to Lord Aizen, you would've killed him on the spot."

"That is enough," Tosen said to them both. "Sora does not seem to be on Soul Society's side. He is a good person and his heart is for justice, of which I am grateful for."

"Tch," Nnoitra said. "As soon as the brat finds out what we're really after…"

"What we're _really_ after," Aizen interrupted. "Is to create an ideal world. One of which only I am capable of creating. I'm sure in due time, Sora will come to realize that."

Ulquiorra nodded in agreement. "There is still more of Sora that we do not know about. However, his recent actions to protect his own comrades shows that he is slowly coming to our side. In time, he will become one of us."

"Sora is a valuable asset to us." Halibel said in agreement. "I am sure my Fracciones well come to see him as an ally."

"I know that Lilynette already likes having him around." Starrk said offhandedly.

Nnoitra couldn't help but sneer at there statements. "If I didn't know better," he said mockingly to them. "I'd say you two are growing fond of him."

The first and third Espadas simply ignored him.

"Having a Keyblade wielder with us is something not even the Soul Society would have expected. With Sora's powers, the Soul Society will be much easier to take down." Aizen spoke. "In fact, Szayelaporro, I have an experiment in mind that I wish to go over with you."

This certainly caught the attention of the other Espadas. The Eighth Espada smiled more. "Oh really, would you be so kind to enlighten me?"

"All in due time," Aizen informed. "But first, we must continue to discuss more pressing matters today. First, I want to make it perfectly clear that if anyone makes an attempt to kill Sora then I will personally see that they are justly punished. Is that understood?"

All the Espada nodded, though Nnoitra was the most reluctant, having been robbed at his chance for payback. Starrk and Halibel felt relieved that Aizen was doing something to help Sora during his time in Las Noches.

"However," Aizen went on. "You are allowed, with my permission, to spar with Sora whenever you desire. But you are forbidden from killing him."

That alone was certainly enough to satisfy some of the Espada. Though Starrk was a bit concerned. He had to remember to remind Sora to stay in his quarters for the time being. At least until he had to train or go on a mission.

Aizen smiled. "Good. Now, let us focus on other important matters."

* * *

After killing the rest of the Menos and Gillians, Sora and Ashido were currently travelling through the furthest parts of the Forest of Menos. Ashido had offered to show Sora a way out of this forest. Since everything seemed to be normal in here, Sora agreed to go along.

It had been almost an hour since then and so far, they were going through a bunch of trees that were arched together. There were a bunch of hollows that tried to attack them, but both Sora and Ashido killed them without even turning.

"Hey Ashido, how long till we get there?" Sora asked.

"From where we are, it should be a couple of minutes." Ashido answered. Then he decided to ask what was on his mind. "By the way, Sora."

Sora turned around, wondering what Ashido wanted to say. "Yeah what's up?"

Ashido gave the Keyblade Wielder a curious stare and said, "You never did answer my question about that key-shaped sword you had earlier?"

Sora mentally cursed in his head as he heard this. He was hoping that Ashido would have forgotten all about that. He could tell him nothing, but Sora saw that the way he was looking at him meant that he was determined for answers.

He let out a long sigh as he thought, " _Well I guess I should tell him something. Though, it's better for him not to know about my alliance with Aizen._ "

The spiky-haired boy held his hand and summoned his Kingdom Keyblade. He turned towards Ashido and replied, "This is the Keyblade."

"The Keyblade." Ashido asked, looking at it with caution. The way it looked wasn't impressive. At least, that's what he would have said, if he hadn't seen it in action earlier.

"I don't really know much about where they come from or how they were created. All I know is that it has the power to seal or open the barriers between worlds, and "lock" a world's Keyhole. I wish I could tell you more but to be honest, I don't even know anything about myself."

This certainly caught the red-haired Soul Reapers attention. "You don't know anything. What do you mean by that?"

Sora turned serious as he said, "You see Ashido, my memories are sorta messed up right now. I don't remember anything other than the first fourteen years of my life."

The red-haired Soul Reaper's eyes widen as he heard this.

"I don't even know how I ended up in Hueco Mundo. I just woke here without any of my memories. So, for a while, I've been wandering around trying to find some answers." Sora explained.

Ashido nodded again, getting a better understanding at what Sora was saying. He then realized something, "Without any memories. I thought you only remembered the first fourteen years of your life."

"That is true." Sora replied. "Before I couldn't remember a thing, except for my name and wielding the Keyblade. Then after a fight, some of my memories came back."

"So, the more you fight the more you remember." Ashido assumed which Sora nodded. The Soul Reaper then asked, "Is that the reason you came here to the Menos Forest? Thought you might find some answers?"

"Yeah! That's basically it." Sora said, which wasn't entirely wrong. "I thought maybe something in this forest would trigger my memories, but so far nothing."

Ashido scoffed as he heard this, "Then you might as well stop looking around Kiddo. There's nothing here in Hueco Mundo that will help you. It's a world filled with nothing but deserts and those damned Hollows."

"What do you mean by that?" Sora asked, confused.

"It's really simple kid. Hollows are nothing more than mindless beasts that harm innocent humans for their souls. They cause chaos, havoc, and destruction." Ashido then narrowed his eyes as something inside him was being released. "And they're the very reason why I'm here in the first place."

Sora looked back at what Aizen had told him earlier when they met. He said that while a Soul Reapers job was to save souls and kill Hollows, they seemed to have fallen to corruption over the years. But Ashido was nothing like that. His statement proved that much. But he couldn't help but think if there was more to it than a sense of duty.

Taking a chance, Sora decided to ask, "Ashido, why are you here anyway?"

The red-haired man's serious facial expression turned very grim. He thought about not saying anything, however, since Sora was kind enough to share some information then he should at least do the same.

"Long ago...like maybe a few hundred years back then, I came here from the Soul Society. I was chasing after a Hollow back then as it was retreating to Hueco Mundo."

Sora was shocked hearing that, "You came here by yourself?"

Ashido expression turned solemn, "No. I had teammates with me. My whole unit and I fought against a large number of Hollows. Eventually, they began retreating to Hueco Mundo. So, we all followed them through the Garganta and ended up here in the Forest of Menos. We knew where we had ended up, but we also knew how important it was to emerge victorious. We fought with everything we had but eventually, it wasn't enough to contain them."

Sora listened intently as Ashido continued telling his story.

"Then the Menos Grande soon got involved in the battle as well. My friends were soon overwhelmed and became exhausted until they were too weak to resist…and were killed. My friend and I were the only survivors. However, when I went to face the group of Hollows alone, he was killed."

Sora's expression turned into a horrified shock as he heard this.

"After finishing off the Menos, I decided to stay here in the Forest of Menos and kill as many Hollows as I could in order to protect the souls of the Human World and the Soul Society. And to also make sure to fulfill the promises I made to my friends. I won't let their deaths be in vain."

Sora couldn't help but feel for Ashido. He had been here alone for so many years, continuing to fight to honor his friends. He then said, "I'm sorry that happened to you."

Ashido only nodded, "It's alright. Besides, I think it made my friends happy to hear another voice. So that's why I brought you to my hideout."

The spiky-haired boy then asked, "Well, I understand why you're here, but how come you never bothered to return to the Soul Society? I know you want to stop many Hollows as you can. But I'm also sure there are some people waiting for you back at the Soul Society."

The red-haired scoffed once more at this. "Don't make me laugh kid. The only people I ever consider my friends have been dead for years. Back then and even now, there is no one waiting for me to come home. I'm willing to bet that even the 13 Court Guard Squad has already forgotten about us the moment we came to this place."

"Ashido…" Sora whispered his name.

The older looking man just looked down at the ground, his expression unreadable.

"You must've been through a lot. Staying here all this time without any company." Sora said as he walked up to the Soul Reaper. When Ashido turned, he was bewailed to see a huge grin on Sora's face. "Well, don't go thinking you're alone anymore Ashido."

"Huh?" Ashido said, very confused and very shocked.

"I mean, I'm your friend right." He said grinning.

Ashido was certainly dumbfounded. "Friends! But we barely know each other."

The Keyblade wielder just shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We fought together right. And that was enough for me to consider you a friend."

After a moment, Ashido shook his head as he sighed. "You're weird you know that."

Sora just chuckled, "Yeah, well I get that a lot. Who knows, if I'm not busy I can come back and offer to help you hunt down some Hollows."

Ashido shook his head no, "Sorry but no."

"Why not?" Sora asked, confused.

"What I'm doing is Soul Reaper business. Besides, you're still trying to find your memories right. You shouldn't get yourself involved anymore."

"But Ashido, I can-"

"I said no Kid!" he said strictly.

Sora sighed as he placed his head into his palms. But then, he smiled as a thought came to him. Sora looked at Ashido, straight in the eye, and said, "Well then, I can at least come visit you every now and then to see how you're doing. Who knows, if we just happened to get attacked by Hollows then I'll be fighting beside you to defend myself."

He let a hand out to Ashido. "So…what do you say Ashido?"

Ashido looked on annoyed. He had a feeling that Sora was planning to use that as an excuse to help him. He sure was persistent. But if he was willing to help then who was he to stop him.

The red-haired Soul Reaper just look at Sora's hand for a few seconds and turned his eyes at Sora's face. After a minute of not saying a word, Ashido sighed loudly in resignation as he grabbed Sora's hand. "I guess I don't have a choice huh?"

However, Ashido's face turned a bit serious. "I won't be playing babysitter for you, that's one thing you should know." His face soon softened up, "But it's a good thing to see that you can look after yourself."

Sora's smile grew, "So you mean…"

Before he could finish, Ashido let go of his hand and resumed walking, "Just be quiet and follow me before I start having second thoughts."

"Okay, you got it." With that, he and Ashido resumed walking and began going deeper into the forest. Hoping to reach the exit. Unknown to them however, a pair of eyes were looking them from behind the trees that were near them.

* * *

After ten minutes, Sora and Ashido ended up going deeper and deeper into the forest until finally they reach a large rock wall.

Sora looked up to see a line formation that created an opening.

"Is this the exit? This doesn't look like the way I came." Sora noted.

"No, you must have entered from somewhere else." Ashido informed. "Once you pass through here, follow the flow of the sand. Then you'll reach the surface."

Sora looked over to Ashido. "What about you?"

"I told you before, I can't leave." Ashido said. "Not yet anyways. The time isn't right." He then looked at Sora with a small smile. "If I ever hear that things are going bad in the Human world then you can count on seeing me again."

Sora smiled, feeling reassured. "Well then, until we meet again."

Ashido nodded, "Yeah, I guess so…" He trailed off as he noticed a presence. He suddenly turned around, "Sora, do you feel that?"

Sora looked confused until he picked up on what Ashido was feeling. "Yeah I do." He said seriously.

They continued looking around when suddenly…

CRASH

A towering figure crashed beside them. They looked up to see that is was a large Hollow that had white masked that covered his entire face. There were red streaks that curled from the top of his head and another from the bottom of his eyes. There was also a large shell-like appendage on his back, which is also where his tail stems from. His Hollow hole is located on the left side of his chest and he wears a large body wrap around his waist.

"Who are you!?" Sora said.

"The guardian of the forest." Ashido gritted his teeth.

" **HEHEHE! Where to you think you're going, Ashido!?"**

Sora looked over to the Soul Reaper in question. "Do you know him?"

"I had a few encounters with him in the past." Ashido replied, not taking his eyes of the guardian.

" **Too long if I do say so myself."** The Guardian then noticed Sora's presence. " **Ahhh and so the rumors were true. There is a Human in Hueco Mundo."**

"What do you want?" Sora replied, getting ready to fight.

" **I could feel your presence from beyond the forest. The way you were fighting just now. I thought of bringing reinforcements, but I think I'm more than enough."** The guardian the laughed as he raised his tail. **"It's time to settle this once and for all."**

Before Sora could summon his Keyblade, Ashido raised his hand to block. "Don't get involved Sora. He was given the position of Guardian of the Forest by Las Noches many years ago. He's different then an average Adjucha."

Sora's eyes widen when he heard that this Adjucha was made Guardian by Las Noches. That would mean that he was working for Aizen. If that case, surely, he would have heard of him. After all, being the only Human working with them would be easy to recognize.

Right now, the only concern was helping Ashido. "But Ashido…" before he could finish, Ashido unsheathed his sword and jumped towards the Guardian. He made to stab him but the Guardian countered with its tail. Surprisingly, his tail extended and began using it like a whip. It made to attack Ashido but he blocked it with his blade. Though the force was strong enough to send in flying.

Ashido got to his feet and slid across the sand. The Guardian chuckled as he used the pointed end of his tail to stab him. Ashido used Flash Step to dodge. The Guardian looked to find him when he suddenly stabbed in the back. Ashido attempted to attack again but the Guardian jumped back.

" **Feel this!"** Extending his tail, the Guardian then released several spikes that grew from the end. All of them were meant to impale Ashido but he used Flash Step to dodge every last one. As he raised his sword, the Guardian then released a large number of spikes from his back. As they came close to stabbing Ashido, Sora suddenly got in the way and used Reflect to repel all those spikes, which also caused the Guardian to be struck by the recoil.

" **You!"** the Guardian narrowed his eyes.

"Sora what are you…" Ashido was interrupted by Sora. "Didn't I tell you that if we were attacked by Hollows, I'll fight beside you to defend myself." Sora began to grin as he got into his fighting stance. "You've been fighting all by yourself for a long time now but you don't have to be alone. As long as you have me as a friend, I'll always have your back."

Ashido was left speechless at this declaration. He had been fighting on his own for so long, that he had forgotten what it was like to accept help from others. But this boy came out of nowhere and was willing to fight beside him. He now recalled why Sora was familiar. The way he was determined to help others reminded him of himself back in his academy days. When he pledged to his friends that they would always have each other's backs.

The Guardian just let out a stream of laughter. **"So, you want to die to right. Well in that case,"** the guardian opened his mouth, which began glowing red. **"All you had to do was ask!"**

Soon, the Guardian fired a red Cero at him. Before Sora could block it, Ashido came and deflected the Cero away. He then turned to Sora. "You know, I didn't think I'd ever let a kid lecture me in teamwork." He smirked as he continued. "But I think I just found the right person who restored my faith in finding new comrades."

However, just before Sora could reply, Ashido suddenly grabbed him by the jacket and without warning, threw him all the way to the exit. This certainly left the Guardian surprised.

"Hey, Ashido!" Sora shouted. "What's the big idea!?"

"Go Sora!" Ashido replied. "You still have to find your memories! That is you mission! Don't get side tracked because of me!"

"But…"

"Don't worry," Sora looked to see Ashido forming a smile of gratitude. "Like I said, I've had plenty of encounters with him. No matter what I'll always find a way to escape. Don't think this is the last you'll see of me."

Sora looked on to see Ashido and the Guardian exchanging one attack after the other. He wanted to help but a part of him told him to put his faith in his new friend.

Sora then smirked as he said. "I right. I'll leave him to you. But next time we meet, I'm gonna fight beside you and I don't want to hear objections."

Ashido chuckled, "Alright. Now go!"

With that, Sora went through the exit before taking one last glance at Ashido. Soon he disappeared from Ashido's sight.

" **Never thought I'd see you grow fond of a Human."** The Guardian sneered. **"You sure have gotten soft."**

"What can I say, he's certainly not bad after all." Ashido chuckled before becoming serious, "Anyways, ready to end this."

" **You took the words right outta my mouth!"**

With that, both Ashido and the Guardian collided, both releasing a large amount of pressure.

* * *

Meanwhile, the next few minutes were a blur to Sora. One minute he was following a path. The next thing he knew, he was popping out of the sand.

"Man," Sora said rubbing his back. "I wish Ashido had mention how uncomfortable this exit was."

Speaking of Ashido, Sora couldn't help but look back at the hole where he had emerged from, thinking about his Soul Reaper friend. He had assumed that all Soul Reapers were cold like what Aizen had told him but Ashido was different. He had been fighting alone for centuries just to honor the friends he lost. That certainly didn't sound like something a corrupt person would do.

Then again, he hadn't really met any Soul Reapers to pass judgment. Maybe there were some like Aizen who didn't agree with how things were going in the Soul Society. Though he could only hope. Regardless, he decided to honor his wish and keep moving on.

" _When everything is settled, I'm come back for you Ashido."_ Sora thought determinedly, as he began making his way back to Las Noches.

* * *

Fortunately, the way out that Ashido showed him was only thirty minutes away from Las Noches. So, Sora was able to reach it without much trouble. Right now, he was walking down one of the many hallways to Aizen's throne room to give him his report. He had been trying to memorize his way around the place. Of course, now he was thinking of his mission. Aizen had told him that there were a bunch of Hollows getting out of hand yet everything seemed natural to him. And then the Guardian, if he worked for Aizen then shouldn't he have been made aware of a Human working with them. Come to think of it did Aizen even tell him.

He made sure to have a word with him when he got there.

"HEY SORA!" A shrilled voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.

"AHHH!" cried Sora, trying his best not to fall. He turned around and saw the culprit was a smirking Lilynette.

"Geez, gimme a break Lilynette." Sora said rubbing his ear.

Lilynette grinned cheekily at him, "Couldn't help myself. You looked really zoned out."

"And your first thought was breaking my eardrums." Sora shot back.

"Oh, please." Lilynette laughed a bit, "You should see what I do to Starrk."

Thinking about that caused Sora to laugh a little, "I'll take your word for it."

Lilynette then approached next to him. "So, how the mission go?" she asked curiously.

Sora thought about that. While he hated lying, he felt that it would be best to not mention Ashido. If everyone in Las Noches was aware that a Soul Reaper had been among them for a century then they might kill him. So, he said, "Alright. There was nothing interesting. Just a few Hollows."

"Yeah, well Hollows aren't really threats." Lilynette said, not suspecting a thing, much to Sora's relief. "And seeing how strong you are, I bet you can take down a group of Adjuchas with breaking a sweat."

Sora smiled, feeling complemented. "Glad to see you have faith in me." Lilynette smirked proudly.

"By the way, anything interesting happened while I was gone." Sora said.

Lilynette's eye widened. She learned from Starrk about the assignment Aizen gave to Ulquiorra and Yammy and was informed that Sora be kept in the dark about that. She asked why but all he said was that it was Aizen's orders.

Taking a deep breath, Lilynette said, "Same old routine, I came back to the room and Starrk was still asleep. I spent the last few hours thinking of ways to mess him."

She grinned hoping that Sora will by that. Sora on the other hand, while he was dense on some aspects, he learned to observed his surroundings. He noticed her earlier reaction and could tell there was more she was hiding. But, after the whole talk of their Ressurrecions, he decided not to say anything on that.

Instead, he said, "Well I have some ideas of my own. If you're interested."

The little Arrancar's attention was caught, "Really." she smirked mischievously, "Lay it on me."

Sora chuckled, "Maybe later. Right now, I have to make my report to Aizen." Then, an idea came to Sora's mind. "Hey, why don't you wait for me inside the dome. I have something in mind."

Lilynette was curious as to what Sora wanted, but decided to go along. "Alright, just try not to take to long."

"I won't." with that the two parted. Sora made his way to the throne room.

* * *

"I see." Aizen said from his throne, hearing Sora's report. "So, you were able to quell the Hollows without the Guardian's assistance."

Sora nodded. Like Lilynette, he decided to leave out the information of Ashido. He figured it was best that Aizen didn't know. Of course, whether Aizen believed him or not he wasn't sure.

"Well then, if that is all then I congratulate you on a job well done." Aizen said standing up. "However, before you go." Aizen then looked straight at two female Arrancars.

The first one was a young, teenage-looking Arrancar with long, black hair tied into two pigtails which reached down her back. She has a slender build, and her visible right eye is pink. The remnants of her mask covered her left eye, which was shaped around her eye with teeth dotted along the bottom of the mask, and there was an extension from her mask into her hair which resembled a hair tie. Her uniform includes a short, frilled skirt, white half-sleeves worn from the elbows down to the wrists, and what appears to be thigh-length, black-colored, white-outlined boots. She wears white bracelets on her arms, and she also wears a white-colored, black-outlined material that ties around her neck, which reveals a fair portion of her stomach as well as her chest. Her name is Loly Aivirrne.

The second female was also teenage-looking with tomboyish features. She had short, slicked blonde hair with a slight fringe over her right green eye. Her Hollow mask was positioned around her right eye, completely obscuring it from view, with teeth dotted around the bottom. Her attire consisted of a white dress with short sleeves, which are slit and run slightly passed her elbows, and an upturned collar. Her dress was also unzipped at the front, revealing her cleavage. Her dress also exposed her waist and part of her thighs on both sides of her body. A black sash was worn loosely around her hips. As with most Arrancar, she wore black tabi socks and low-heel sandals and completed her outfit with a white, segmented choker and a series of white bracelets on her arms. Her name was Menoly Mallia.

These two female Arrancar serve as Aizen's personal aides.

"Loly, Menoly." Aizen said warmly. "Please leave us."

This certainly shocked the two female Arrancars. "B-But! Lord Aizen!" Loly said, "Leaving you alone with this Human…"

Loly never got to finish her argument, as one stone cold look from Aizen meant that he would not accept any objections.

Knowing she couldn't win, the two girls simply bowed. "Pl-Please excuse us!" They said in unison before storming out. However, as they walked passed Sora, he noticed Loly giving a look that meant bloody murder.

"That damn Human…what the hell…" was all he could make out before they left. Sora sighed, apparently making another person hate his guts. He just hoped she won't do anything like Nnoitra.

He heard Aizen clear his throat before turning his attention towards him. "You are wondering what I have to say. Well, I feel that now that Kaname has taught you about the basic abilities of the Soul Reapers, I feel as though I must inform you of their military power." Aizen said. "The 13 Court Guard Squad."

Sora paid close attention. He remembered Ashido mentioning them back at the forest. So, he wanted to hear more about the group of people they were going up against.

"The 13 Court Guard Squad is made up of thirteen divisions, with several divisions having certain specializations. There are a total of 20 ranked officers. The lower the number is, the higher the rank. Of course, I believe that the only people you'll have to be on guard with are the captains, the leaders of each squad who are the most powerful officers in their units. And then there's their lieutenants, who are the second most powerful." Aizen looked to Sora. "Do you understand so far?"

Sora nodded as he absorbed all this information. Aizen continued. "Before defecting, I was the captain of Squad 5 and Gin and Kaname were captains of Squads 3 and 9 respectively. Considering the brief time since our defection, you will most likely not have to worry about any new captains from those squads."

"First, there is the captain of Squad 1: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto." Aizen said, narrowing his eyes. "He is also the Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squad, giving him authority over the rest of the 13 squads. I will admit that he is currently the most powerful Soul Reaper in existence, having held onto his rank for over a thousand years. His zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka, is regarded as the most powerful zanpakutō in all the squads. It allows him to create and control powerful flames, enough to reduce anyone or anything to ash."

Sora couldn't help but let out a gulp. This old man is that powerful. And a thousand years…

"Soul Reapers and other spiritual beings have a longer longevity than humans." Aizen said, apparently reading Sora's mind again. "I will admit that if I were to go up against him then I will surely be overpowered. However, I have a plan that will change all that." Sora couldn't help but wonder what Aizen had in mind. "As for you Sora, while I don't doubt your abilities, I highly recommend that you avoid him, if possible."

While this Head-Captain guy sounded powerful, there was no way Sora was backing down. It's not like this old man is the only one who can control fire. He also has a few ice and lightning magic at his disposal.

"The captain of Squad 2 is Suì-Fēng." Aizen went on. "She is also the commander-in-chief of the Stealth Forces. They are a covert ops unit that specialize in assassination. Her skills in Flash Step is considered the greatest among all the other captains and she has a mastery of Hakuda. Her zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, possess one the deadliest abilities. Whenever she pierces someone with her blade, it will leave a butterfly mark. If said person is struck once again on the same spot, they will die, instantly."

Sora eyes widened. While a bit terrified at first, he started to weigh down his options. An obvious counter would be to not get hit in the same spot, but that sounded easier said than done. Especially if this Sui-Feng was considered the fastest out of all the Soul Society's captains. A good tactic would be to use long-ranged attacks against her.

"The captain of Squad 4 is Retsu Unohana." Aizen said. "Squad 4 specializes as a healing division. So, she and her lieutenant will most likely focus their time on tending to the wounded rather than participating in the battle."

"The captain of Squad 6 is Byakuya Kuchiki. He is also the 28th head of the Kuchiki clan, one of the four noble families of the Soul Society." Aizen explained. "His zanpakutō is known as Senbonzakura. It has the power to scatter into a thousand blade fragments that he is able to control with his sword's hilt. His level of Flash Step is almost on par with Captain Suì-Fēng and is a great tactician in combat. His mastery of Kidō is also one of his most impressive feats. My advice to you is to not underestimate him and do not let your guard down."

Sora nodded in response, as Aizen continued. "The captain of Squad 7 is Sajin Komamura. In terms of physical strength, he is the strongest among the captains. His zanpakutō is known as Tenken, which allows him to summon parts of an armored giant that mimic his movement."

Mimic his movement. If the parts copied the captain's movements, then the obvious plan of attack would be to go after the captain himself. Though, he had a feeling the giant parts weren't going to make that easy.

"The captain of Squad 8 is Shunsui Kyōraku. He is…much like Starrk in terms of personality. However, he is considered one of the most powerful captains, having been directly trained under the Head-Captain himself. He is also an excellent strategist. His zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu, is one of the few dual-type zanpakutōs."

"Dual?" Sora repeated. "Do they have separate powers or do they share the same ones?"

"They both share the same power." Aizen answered. "Katen Kyōkotsu's special power is to make children's games into reality."

Sora tilted his head. "Games?"

Aizen chuckled. "I will be honest, even I do not know the full extent of these "games". Though, it is because Captain Kyoraku rarely ever uses his shikai in battle. I advise you to be on guard with him."

"Squad 10's captain is Tōshirō Hitsugaya. His zanpakutō is called Hyōrinmaru, which allows him to control ice and water. Don't underestimate him though, as he is an expert strategist and is known as a prodigy. Having become the youngest person to ever become captain." Aizen informed.

"Squad 11 is led by Kenpachi Zaraki. Much like Nnoitra, he takes pleasure in fighting and is always seeking good opponents." Aizen let out a small laugh, "In fact, I believe he will most definitely go after you if he ever learns of you abilities."

Sora groaned, not wanting to deal with this guy. As if Nnoitra wasn't bad enough. "What's his zanpakutō like?"

"Captain Zaraki's zanpakutō is actually different from the other captains." He replied. "He has no knowledge of his zanpakutō's name and it is always in its released state, which is because Captain Zaraki has no control over his spiritual power. His immense spiritual power however makes up for that. He also wears an eye-patch in order to suppress his spiritual power."

"Squad 12's captain is Mayuri Kurotsuchi. He is also the head of the Soul Reaper's Department of Research and Development that work to build new technology and spiritual tools for the Soul Reapers. He views everything as an experiment and will most likely try to experiment on you if he has the chance." The former captain informed.

First a Soul Reaper Starrk, then a Soul Reaper Nnoitra, and now a Soul Reaper Szayelaporro? Sora couldn't help but wonder if there were doppelgangers or something.

"As a scientist, Captain Kurotsuchi specializes in studying his enemies and then creating proper counter-measures against them." Aizen said. "He also experiments on himself in order to give his body a variety of different modifications. His zanpakutō, Ashishogi Jizō, has the ability to paralyze anyone who is cut by it by affecting their nerve impulses. However, the pain receptors remain intact, so the paralyzed victim can still feel pain. I recommend you defeat him quickly before he has time to counter your abilities."

Sora certainly took this to heart. He had already dealt with enough tricksters like Oogie Boogie.

"Finally, the captain of Squad 13 is Jūshirō Ukitake. He is also another student who was taught by the Head-Captain, alongside Captain Kyōraku." He said. "Though a well-meaning man, he is willing to fight if necessary. His zanpakutō is known as Sōgyo no Kotowari, another dual type that can absorb an opponent's energy attacks and redirect them back at said opponent."

Sora began processing all that information. These captains sure sounded really dangerous, with their powers and everything. For as much as he can remember, the only powerful people he has ever faced were Riku, Maleficent, and Ansem. As if his current dispute with Nnoitra wasn't enough, he had a feeling that this was going to be one hell of a battle. More so than anything he had ever faced.

"No need to worry Sora." Sora snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Aizen. "I'm confident that with enough training, you'll be prepared for the upcoming battle." He put his hand on Sora's shoulders. "Remember, as long as you stay with us, there is nothing we can't accomplish."

This reassured Sora a little. "Hopefully." He then looked up at Aizen, "You do plan to make the world a better place…right?"

Aizen only smiled before replying, "I do."

"Okay then," he said. "I'll keep training until the time comes when we take on the Soul Reapers."

Aizen smiled in admiration, "Very good, Sora. For now, rest. You're training will resume in a few days."

With that, Sora left the throne room. Only this time, Aizen was on his mind. He didn't know why but he could feel something off about him. While his memories weren't completed, he had remembered some things about Maleficent to know how charismatic she could be, especially if she convinced Riku to join her. Aizen had given off a similar vibe compared to her.

Nevertheless, he decided to keep an eye on him. Just to make sure that there wasn't anything going on behind his back.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Lilynette asked, Sora having just arrived.

"Nothing much." Sora said. "I told about the mission and he thanked me. Of course, I think I just made two girls hate me."

Two girls? Lilynette looked confused before realizing something. "Oh, I guess you met Loly and Menoly." She scoffed before continuing, "They're Lord Aizen's personal aides, but they're crazy about him and protective."

"That bad huh?" Sora said.

"Yeah but I think Loly has it worse." Lilynette replied. "You should stay away from them for a couple of days. They'll lose interest."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sora said.

"So." Lilynette looked at the Keybearer. "Why'd you ask me to meet you here."

Sora chuckled before answering. "I've been thinking, with the war coming, I think we need to be ready."

He raised his hand and summoned his Keyblade. "So, show me your sword."

Lilynette's eye widen, realizing what he meant. "You're serious?"

Sora chuckled, "Well, we are teammates right. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't help train you. Besides, I'll feel much stronger knowing I have friends beside me." He smiled, as he looked at her. "What do you say?"

Lilynette thought for a moment, before smiling. "Can you teach me those tricks of yours?"

Sora laughed before replying. "We'll work are way up there."

With that, Lilynettes hand went for the broken stub of her horn, causing the spiky-haired boy's eyes to widen when he noticed it glowing and an object resembling a hilt emerged. Lilynette pulled the object out and revealed it to be a wicked scimitar.

"You're on." She declared, holding her sword forward with two hands holding the hilt.

Then, Sora and Lilynette began sparring, with the two going blow for blow, though Lilynette was swing her sword around as if whacking something. The two friends were laughing as they began enjoying themselves.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep within Las Noches, Aizen was walking down a spiral stair with a tray of food in his hands as he prepared to enter the lone prison chamber. He had been so preoccupied with Sora that he almost neglected to check the condition of his other guest. Of course, unlike Sora, she still had all her memories intact and tried to put up a struggle, so he had to subdue her and put her away before the other Espada caught on. It wasn't easy getting her here to Hueco Mundo but it was all worth it as she played an important role in luring the prized person he was after. Now, he needed to make sure she made no attempt at interfering with his plans as he prepared for the upcoming war against the Soul Society. Of course, he would make sure she had a front row seat to the battle to come and the outcome of his plan.

Aizen stopped as he arrived at a lone door at the bottom of the staircase. Placing his palm against the scanner, the light turned green as the doors opened automatically. He walked down the narrow hallway until he arrived at a large, circular room, separated by bars. From where he was at he stared at a lone girl who sat on the ground, her arms cuffed together.

She looked to be around fifteen-years-old, with dark red hair that reached her shoulders, violet-blue eyes, and a pale complexion. She wore a hooded pink-and-black dress with two small black cat ears, and a necklace with a silver bead. Her skirt also had black ruffles on one side and plaid on the other. She wears thick belted black boots.

From her cell, she looked up and glared at Aizen as he held his smug smile.

"I hope you've had a wonderful sleep...Kairi."

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: As you saw, Ansem the Wise and Ienzo will be preparing the vessel for Naminé's heart to inhabit. Currently**_ _ **Naminé's heart is still inside Kairi's heart, but it will be released in due time. I remember reading from an online source in KH13 that once Roxas replica was completed, the data reacted with his heart and that's how it ended up transporting to the Keyblade Graveyard. I plan to do the same with**_ _ **Naminé. As for Vexen, I still don't know how he returned as Even since he became a Nobody again. I decided to keep him around longer, so he'll appear again. As for Isa and Braig, well let's just say...Stay Tune!**_

 _ **Next Time: Sora goes on a mission with Halibel and her Fracciones. He learns more of the Third Espada and the history she has with her Fracciones. Until next time. Please review and don't flame.**_


	6. Tier Halibel!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Sorry this took a while, but here's the sixth chapter. I don't own Bleach or Kingdom Hearts.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 6: "Tier Halibel! Story of the Third Espada!"**_

Aizen stared at Kairi with his usual smug smile as he slid the tray of food across to her side, bumping against her feet.

"I trust that you are well rested." Aizen said. "Also, I hope you can forgive me for the...accommodations. Of course, I can't have you staying withing Las Noches as your presence would attract too much unwanted attention."

Kairi glared daggers at the rogue soul reaper before finally speaking her mind. "Who are you and why did you bring me here?"

He merely chuckled before replying, "My name is Sosuke Aizen, the lord of Las Noches. As for why you are here, I was merely feeling generous. Do you remember what was the last thing that had happened to you?"

The red-haired girl looked down before gasping. She remembered facing off against Saïx and an organization member with Sora and Lea. Then Xemnas appeared and afterwards that girl changed sides and Roxas appeared. Before she could do anything, Xemnas teleported behind her and abducted her. The last thing she recalled was being in Xehanort's clutches before he-

She gasped as he eyes widened in shock. "Xehanort! He didn't just hurt me! No, it was worse than that. I was gone!" Kairi recalled as she placed her shackled hands on her chest.

"To be more precise, Xehanort destroyed your entire being." Aizen clarified as Kairi's eyes widened in shock. "However, the pure light that you carry prevented your heart from passing over and remain in the endless limbo."

"The Final World!" Kairi remember the place Sora went to after their first struggle with the Real Organization XIII. Shaking her head, Kairi looked at Aizen. "I don't understand! How am I here now!? It shouldn't be possible!"

"You are right. It was easy to find you as the Final World, the place for those who have not been fully claimed by death, resides as the border between the Soul Society and the Underworld." Aizen explained. "However, retrieving you would have been impossible as Soul Reapers are unable to enter that domain. Fortunately, Master Xehanort's actions made such a feat possible."

"What have you done?" Kairi glared.

"Xehanort's actions in opening the door to Kingdom Hearts had led to a massive distortion that spread across the worlds." He explained. "Using that distortion, I was able to find your heart and gather all of your pieces. Yet, I had to be discrete as I could not let my Espada learn of your arrival. Which is why you are in this chamber, which seals you spirit energy."

The red-haired girl couldn't believe what was happening to her. She was captured by a man she never met and made a prisoner in his chamber, Las Noches he called it. But there was still one thing that wasn't clear.

"Why me?" She asked. "Why did bring me here!?"

Aizen said nothing at first, instead he opened the door and walked closer to Kairi, who tried to crawl back only to bump against the wall. When she looked up, Aizen knelt down to her level and grabbed her chin, and their eyes met. "It's because, you are the key." He explained. "To be more precise, you were the key, which brought the Keybearer to me."

Kairi looked bewildered. The keybearer? Who could Aizen be referring to? There were a handful of Keyblade Wielders so who could it-

Suddenly, a thought came to mind. There was one particular person who saw her get struck down by Xehanort. And that very person was daring enough to stage a rescue attempt.

"Y-you mean that-"

The leader of Las Noches smirked as he stood up. "You are correct. The power of waking; the power to traverse hearts to reach worlds. However, Sora had done the opposite and used it to traverse worlds to reach the hearts of his comrades. Sora made the decision to follow your heart."

Kairi gasped. If that was then, "Sora. He's here!"

"He is." Aizen clarified. "However, I would go against any thoughts of meeting him as he is not aware that you are here. But do not be concerned, for I am taking care of him."

Hearing that caused the red-haired girl to seethed. "What have done to Sora?"

"It's not what I have done to him. It's more of what he did to himself." Aizen stated. "He was warned that there were consequences of misusing the power of waking, yet he recklessly used it more than he should have. While unprecedented, it did make it easier to convince him to join my allies."

"Sora would never join you!" Kairi shouted.

"But he has, and I have you to thank for it." He glanced down at her. "You trained hard to help your allies against the seekers of darkness yet, when the hour came you could do nothing but remain powerless."

"That's not true." Kairi argued. "I just...wanted to see if I could change."

"And have you?"

Kairi said nothing. She didn't know what to say. True she trained with Lea to fight with a Keyblade, yet when the battle came everything went south for her the moment Xemnas captured her.

Looking down, she asked. "If you have Sora, then why still keep me hear?"

"The reason is that you still have a role to play." Aizen replied. "And in due time, your role will be fulfilled." With nothing else to say, the soul reaper turned around and exited the cell.

"I also advise you not to make any attempt at escape. Those cuff you are wearing are designed to prevent you from using your power." He said and with that he shut the door and left.

Kairi remained alone in her cell, looking at her cuffs as a lone tear dripped from her eye.

"Sora."

Unknown to her, her chest glowed slightly. A faint cry resonating from Kairi's heart, hoping her voice would reach out to those who could hear her.

* * *

In Starrk's chamber, Sora was currently sleeping in as usual. The mission to the Forest of Menos and the training he did with Lilynette really tired him out. Now, he was sleeping blissfully, nothing could ruin this moment.

"WAKE UP!" Suddenly, Sora felt something wet lodged in this ear. Screaming, he immediately shot straight up while massaging his right ear.

Sora looked and saw that it was saliva. Looking over, he saw a laughing Lilynette, immediately realizing that she was the culprit.

"You woke up." She smirked, giving a peace sign. "Morning."

"Yeah, morning." Sora said, still sore from that trick.

"Sorry, but I tried waking you up before." Lilynette explained. "But it looked like you were out like a rock. And that snoring."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." He muttered before changing the subject. "By the way, what were you doing just now?"

Lilynette smiled mischievously as she gestured her finger to Starrk. "Take a good look."

Sora looked over to the First Espada and boy was he surprised. Starrk was still asleep, but his face was drawn on by a marker. He had the traditional curly mustache goatee combo, complete with thick glasses, a dash on the right cheek, a sunny smiley face on the left cheek, and devil horns on his forehead.

Sora covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh. During their spar, Sora mentioned some of the pranks he pulled on Riku as a child. Drawing on his face was one of the things he did while Riku slept on the beach. Lilynette certainly found that hilarious and wondered if she could do that to Starrk. She found a way to do it and it was more hilarious than she anticipated.

"You were right." She said laughing. "That was fun."

"Yeah, you certainly pulled that off." Sora said, ignoring the consequence of Starrk finding out. Good thing it wasn't a permanent marker.

"Hey Sora, you never did finish explaining your story." Lilynette said.

Sora realized she was right. After explaining the part were Riku left with Kairi to a world called Hollow Bastion, he started feeling sleeping and ended the story there. Sora had a feeling she would ask him to continue his tale.

"Alright, let's pick it up from where we left off." Sora chuckled as he sat down, the little girl Arrancar joining him. "After we beat that pirate Captain Hook and helped Peter Pan save Wendy did I find and seal the world's keyhole…"

Lilynette leaned forward, growing interested as the Spikey-haired boy continued his amazing tale.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tier Halibel had been summoned by Tōsen, who had informed her that Aizen requested to see her. Curious, Halibel followed him to the throne room to see what her leader wanted.

"Welcome, Halibel." Aizen said with a smile from atop his throne, where Loly and Menoly stood on either side, looking firm and stiff.

As the third most powerful Espada approached him, Halibel got down on one knee and bowed respectfully. "What do you wish of me, Lord Aizen?"

"I have a mission for you and your Fracciónes. Several Arrancar have chosen to betray us and defected from our side. I would like for the four of you to track them down but don't kill them. Bring them back to me, by force if necessary."

"As you wish sir." Halibel stated but before she could leave, Aizen continued. "One more thing, take Sora with you." Aizen told her.

Halibel raised her head, staring at Aizen with eyes filled with surprise and confusion. "Sir?"

"Out of all the Espada, you have shown to be very skilled when teaching others. Remember, it was you who taught your Fracciónes to have the best teamwork despite their constant arguments with each other." Aizen said.

Halibel could not help but feel some pride at his praise. Before becoming Arrancars, she managed to teach her Fracciónes how to survive and fight as a group.

"Sora still has plenty of potential in terms of power and ability." Aizen went on. "The Thirteen Court Guard Squads are formidable opponents, so I would like for Sora to be at his best.

Halibel took in Aizen's words. It's not that she didn't mind teaching Sora a few things but why her specifically?

"As for why I want you to teach Sora; it seemed to be the most practical choice. I recall your Fracciónes earlier reaction to him, sloppy teamwork will only serve to cause confusion, which is something we cannot afford. Besides, it also provides all four of you a chance to get better acquainted with him. Starrk, while powerful, lacks the gift for commanding respect and I don't think it would be wise to have Sora train with the other Espada. Considering Nnoitra and Grimmjow's nature." Aizen finished.

"I understand, Lord Aizen." Halibel said respectfully, despite still feeling uncertain. Nevertheless, she would do what Aizen wished.

"Thank you, Halibel." Aizen said. "That will be all."

And with that, Halibel got up and left the throne room.

* * *

"Master Halibel." Returning to her chambers, Halibel's Fracciónes immediately rushed over to her side.

"Hello, ladies." she greeted them casually.

"Master Halibel, what did Lord Aizen want?" Sung-Sun asked; a curious but concerned look on her face that she shared with Apacci and Mila Rose.

"There is a mission he would like for us to do." Halibel answered, getting straight to the point. "A group of Arrancars have defected. Lord Aizen would like for us to retrieve them, with minimum injuries."

Apacci snorted, uninterested. "Is that all. We could get that done in half the time."

"He would also like for Sora to join us on this mission." Halibel finished. Their reaction was exactly how she pictured it would; they were staring at her, frozen in place.

"Why does he want him to come with us?" Mila Rose asked, finding her voice.

"He wants this mission to serve as a form of training for Sora. And for the three of you to become better acquainted with him." Halibel explained. "He praised my teaching and your teamwork, but said you could improve more on that."

"Why do we need to work with that human to do it?" Apacci asked, less than thrilled about the idea already.

"Lord Aizen believes having someone new to fight alongside will be helpful." Halibel told her. "He also sees it as another opportunity to know Sora better and learn more of his abilities."

Mila Rose's brows furrowed as she contemplated her leader's words. "I suppose that makes sense."

"There is still so much about Sora that we don't know." Sung-Sun added. More so than what he knows about himself, considering his amnesia. "And it's still too early to say if he will become our ally, indefinitely."

"This is true." Halibel acknowledged. She then decided to ask them something. "Tell me, what do you think of Sora?"

The Fracciónes look down for a moment contemplating her words. While they respected him for saving them earlier, it's not like they wanted to be his friend or anything. They didn't really know him all that well.

"Nothin' much." Apacci said.

"We respect Sora from saving us from Nnoitra," Mila Rose stated. "But we never really had a reason to talk to him."

"You are right. Perhaps after this mission, you might even see Sora as a comrade." Halibel said, causing her Fracciónes to be completely stunned by her statement.

"Forgive us, Master Halibel." Sung-Sun said hastily. "We are grateful to Sora for saving us and his abilities makes him an ideal addition to our forces, but…I doubt we could _ever_ be friends with a human."

"Why not?" Halibel asked, causing her Fracciónes to gape at her.

"M-Master Halibel?" Apacci stuttered, not expecting her leader to say such a thing.

"Sora has proven himself to be a far more generous and honorable person than a decent amount of our comrades." Halibel stated. "While I'll admit he may be simple-minded at times, he is also brave, selfless, and true."

Her Fracciónes stared at her in stunned silence. Never had they heard their leader speak about someone with such high regard apart from Aizen.

"And by risking his life to save yours, Sora has earned my respect," Halibel added. "Only time will tell if he is able to keep it."

The other three looked at each other, having realized that couldn't argue with their master. They weren't thrilled about it but if Halibel thought it was for the best, they would go along with it.

"We understand, Master Halibel," Sung-Sun spoke their mutual decision.

Halibel closed her eyes, which her Fracciónes took as a sign of acknowledgement. "Then let us go inform him." She told them, but before they could step out the door, she told them one last thing. "But, unless it can't be helped, do not show all of your techniques." Her Fracciónes blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected request. "As you said, Sung-Sun, it is still too early to say whether Sora will truly become our ally. He has gained my respect, but not my trust. As such, I do not wish for him to know all of our abilities."

Her Fracciónes knew she had a good point. "Understood, Master Halibel." Apacci said firmly. "We won't let you down."

* * *

Back in Starrk's room, Sora completed his tale. "After that, the three of us ran after Pluto, hoping to find more clues to rescue Riku and the King. As for what happened, I'm afraid that's where it ends."

Lilynette was completely speechless. "There's no way."

"It's the truth." Sora told her.

"You expect me to believe that you actually saved all the worlds." Lilynette said.

"I wouldn't lie about something like this." Sora said. "Though, I understand that some of it would be difficult to believe."

She said nothing. She knew Sora long enough to know that he wasn't the type to lie, especially about something this big. But still, she had learned a great deal about her otherworldly guest. She knew he had been to other worlds, but saving them was completely different.

Upon reaching that world, Hollow Bastion, did she learn that Sora wasn't the real Keyblade's chosen wielder, but his friend Riku was and claimed it for himself. That must have been what Sora meant when he said that there was a time where he was without his Keyblade. Yet, despite losing his powerful weapon and his two friends, who abandon him to follow their orders, ( _'some friends'_ she thought) Sora still chose to venture into the castle, having been inspired by a person he called the Beast.

There, Sora met Riku, Goofy, and Donald once more. This time, Donald and Goofy return to Sora's side, much to her relief. She still wondered how Sora could fight without a weapon, but then Sora said the words she'll never forget.

" _I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My heart!"._

When she asked what he meant, Sora told her that his friends strengthen his heart and that's what caused the Keyblade to return to Sora, realizing that Riku has turned to darkness, and Sora's heart is far stronger than Riku's. With his Keyblade now back and his friends by his side, Sora defeated Riku once and for all. He later ended up defeating the witch, Maleficent, who had managed to transform into a Dragon. However, just when she thought his journey was over, it was not.

It turns out that there was another ringleader in all this; Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. He possessed Riku and planned to find Kingdom Hearts all on his own. While Sora defeated him, it didn't stop him from entering the Final Keyhole that leads to Kingdom Hearts. What shocked her most was that his friend Kairi was one of these Seven Princesses of Heart, seven maidens of pure light who can open the Door to Darkness. What also shocked her was that her heart had been inside Sora's the entire time. She had asked if he knew about this but Sora assured her that he just found out at that moment. But then, he did something that she would never have expected.

"I still can't believe you turned into a Heartless, just to save your friend." Lilynette breathed.

Sora chuckled, "Well, someone had to complete the Final Keyhole so I could seal it. Besides, I couldn't leave her like that, knowing I have the power to save her. And I would do it again for her."

Lilynette looked to see a smile on Sora's face, most likely thinking about that moment. With that in mind, a playful smile appeared on her face, one that Sora didn't like.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Sora asked nervously.

"Oh nothing~" She said playfully, "I think I know the reason why." She then pointed a finger at him, "You like Kairi."

Sora's face became red after hearing that, causing Lilynette to burst out laughing. "Wait a minute, I think you got the wrong idea."

"Oh really. The way you said it, I think she more than a friend to you." Teased Lilynette. "You like, _like,_ her."

"Seriously it's not…"

"Becoming a heartless to save that girl must mean something." Starrk said for the first time. "Not that I'm an expert on love or anything."

Sora groaned. "Not you to Starrk."

The little girl Arrancar just looked surprised. "Since when were you awake?"

"At the part where Sora arrived at that Hollow Bastion world." Starrk said before looking over at Sora, causing him to cover his mouth to hide his smile. (Starrk face was still covered with doodles. Which he was oblivious of.) "Besides, didn't you say that charm you had was hers."

Sora pulled the star charm and examined it. "Yeah it was. She said it'd bring me luck and give it back to her when I came home."

But he didn't. He wanted to go back to the islands, but instead chose to continue traveling to find Riku and the King. After all, he wanted all of them to be home together. That was all he could remember. By his appearance, a year or two must've past since that day. Did he ever find them or was he still looking when he ended up in Hueco Mundo? He still had more questions than answers. Only if he had more memories would he be able to know more.

Before he could dwell more on that, he heard the door knocking. "Who could that be?" he said before answering. When he opened it, he was greeted to the sight of Halibel and her Fracciónes.

"Halibel." Sora greeted, looking over to Starrk and Lilynette, who were just as confused at the Third Espada's presence.

"Hello, Sora." Halibel replied.

"What brings you by Halibel?" Starrk said, sitting up. Before they could reply, they froze when they saw Starrk's face. Apacci and Mila Rose turned around, holding their laughter. Sung-Sun's expression was covered by her sleeve, but that didn't hide the chortle coming from her.

Halibel was indifferent. She looked over to a grinning Lilynette, realizing she was the culprit. Starrk just looked confused. "What?"

"It's nothing." She said with a sigh. She then decided to get back on topic. "There is a mission Lord Aizen would like for us to do." Halibel explained. "Also, he would like for you to join us."

Sora did a double-take on that, "He wants me to help you?"

She nodded. "He would like for you to learn more about our world and to also be better acquainted with us."

"Oh, I get it." Sora replied. He didn't mind going on another mission. It would help pass the time anyways. Besides, he always wanted to learn more about Halibel and her Fracciónes. "I don't mind helping you on a mission. So, when do we leave?"

"Immediately." Halibel said.

"Alright then." Sora said before turning over to Lilynette. "Hey Lilynette, you wanna tag along?"

She thought about it for a moment before replying, "Nah, you guys go on ahead. Let me know if anything interesting happens."

Halibel nodded. "Very well then. Let us be off." With that, Sora, Halibel, and her Fracciónes left. Not before Apacci looked over at Starrk. "By the way Starrk, nice face." She said before laughing.

Starrk looked confused before deciding to pull out his sword and looked at the reflection. Needless to say, his reaction was just what Sora expected. "What the!"

Lilynette was in stitches over his reaction. "You should see your face! It looks good on you!"

"LILYNETTTTTEEEE!"

* * *

"So, what's the mission?" Sora asked.

"A group of Arrancar have defected from Las Noches." Halibel explained. "Lord Aizen would like for us to retrieve them."

"Really?" Sora said, "Doesn't sound hard to me."

"I know." Apacci agreed. "We could get it done in half the time."

"Don't go jumping to conclusions Apacci." Mila Rose instructed. "We don't even know where they are."

"I know that Mila Rose!" Apacci yelled. "I don't need someone like you to tell me what to do!"

"What!" Mila Rose snarled. "Why don't you say that to may face!"

"Yeah I will!" Apacci shot back.

"Oh dear." Sung-Sun said "Look at you two, making fools of yourselves in front of Master Halibel and Sora. It can't be helped but please don't make look bad to."

"Shut up Sung-Sun!" They yelled simultaneously while she ignored them. "We weren't talking to you!"

"Girls." All three of them froze when they heard their master. "That's enough."

Sora on the other hand was just dumbfounded. He heard from Lilynette that they were always arguing but he didn't think it was that bad. "They…argue a lot, don't they?" he asked sheepishly.

"In most cases." Halibel replied. "However, when the situation is right they can come together."

That sounded interesting. However, one thing came to Sora's mind. "By the way, do you know where these guys are?"

"I heard from some of our sources that they were spotted a few miles northwest from Las Noches." She answered.

"Are they hiding in the Forest of Menos?" He asked nervously.

"No," She said. "By their location, they are most likely hiding in one of the old Hollow caverns."

"Alright then." Sora said, smiling determinedly. "We'll find them and then head back. Hopefully, Starrk would've cooled down by then."

"That reminds me." Halibel said looking over at Sora. "What were you two doing?"

Sora remembered their earlier reaction. "Oh, well Lilynette was the one who drew on Starrk's face. But I kinda gave her the idea for it."

"You came up with that?!" Apacci said, bemused.

"Yeah, it was one of the things I use to do to Riku back on the islands." Sora responded.

"Must've been an interesting childhood." Mila Rose said before realizing something. "Wait a minute, if you remember something from your past, does that mean you finally remember?"

This certainly made a good point. One that got everyone's attention. Sora looked confused at their looks before realizing what he just said. "Oh, that's right, you guys don't know. Some of my memories did come back but only the first fourteen years of my life. I remember somethings, like when I gained my Keyblade and traveled around the worlds. Other than that, everything else is a blank."

"That does make sense." Sung-Sun said, understanding. "So, you can't remember more than that?"

"Pretty much." Sora said.

"When did this happen?" Halibel asked curiously.

"A couple of days ago." Sora explained. "I've been talking about this with Starrk and Lilynette, hoping that it may trigger some of my memories. So far, nothing."

"I see." Halibel said, then something came to her mind. "Would it be alright if I heard this?"

Everyone was taken aback by this sudden request. Sora recovered, not having any reason to not say anything. Besides this job was so they could be better acquainted.

"Sure, I don't mind." Sora said, "How long will this take?"

"We should arrive at our destination in an hour." Halibel said. "We have time."

"Alright then." Sora said before beginning his tale again, "Let me start at the beginning."

* * *

"What's the status report?"

"Masters Ulquiorra and Yammy are due back within the hour, my Lord."

Back in Las Noches, Aizen was sitting on top his throne, looking down at a kneeling messenger Arrancar. Apparently, Ulquiorra and Yammy had finished their reconnaissance at Karakura Town.

"Very good." Aizen said. "You may go now." The messenger left after that.

Aizen then looked over at Tōsen. "The moment they return, I want you to gather all the Arrancar at the throne room so we can discuss their observation."

"It shall be done Lord Aizen" Tōsen said before leaving.

After he left, Aizen sat there thinking of recent developments. Despite the new addition to his forces, along with holding Kairi as his captive, there was still someone he needed to observe. The Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki. Hopefully, after these last few weeks, his powers have progressed. His thoughts then drifted back to Sora. He still needed to make sure his memories restoration and training were progressing smoothly while preparing for the war. He also needed to check up on Szayelaporro to see how his "project" was developing.

So much to do, so little time.

* * *

"And that's all I can so far." Sora finished. Roughly an hour had past and he had concluded his tale once again.

Halibel had remained impassive while her Fracciónes stared at the Keyblade wielder. They had remained silent throughout the whole story. Not that it could be helped, anyone would be speechless listening to the kind of adventures Sora's been on. And those worlds…

Mila Rose was the first to recover, crossing her arms. "I'm a little skeptical of the things you said but considering what Lord Aizen said about the Keyblade, I guess I can accept it."

Sora just shrugged.

"All the same," Sung-Sun spoke up. "I'm impressed with you. Despite having no experience with the Keyblade you still chose to save the worlds from the Heartless." Sung-Sun was _more than_ impressed, but she wasn't gonna show it.

"Well, someone had to do it." Sora said. "If not me than who."

Sora continued walking before he noticed Apacci had been glaring at him the whole time. It was starting to make him uncomfortable. "Uhh…what?"

"I don't get it." She said. "Your friend made it clear that he didn't give a crap about you and left to join that green witch. So, why did you still go after him? If it were me, I would've given up on him a long time ago."

"Apacci, will you just…" Mila Rose was about to scold her before Sora interrupted.

"Riku and I aren't just friends. We're also family." Sora said before giving a serious expression that took them by surprise. "And no matter what, you always stick with each other even through dark times and never abandon them. Even if they don't do the same."

"You had that much faith in him?" Sung-Sun asked. "Tell me, what was it that made your faith so strong?"

Sora though about that for a moment, before replying, "Part of it was the friendship I had with him. We've been through a lot since we were kids and I wasn't going to give up on him."

"And in the end, your favor was rewarded." Halibel said for the first time. While it looked she was uninterested in the story, it was actually the opposite. In fact, she was amazed after hearing Sora's history. Despite having no knowledge and experience with such a great weapon, he still chose to help save people and the worlds instead of conquering them like his enemies Maleficent, her coalition, and Ansem. One thing that cemented this was the part where he was perfectly willing to sacrifice his own humanity to restore the heart of his friend Kairi. She was also impressed that Riku and the King were willing to seal themselves into the darkness to close the door to Kingdom Hearts. She couldn't help but feel that Riku did this to atone for all the wrongs he committed. Well, he certainly proved himself a noble man in her eyes.

Sora as well. By hearing that story, she quickly realized that Sora had been and seen through more things than she or any Arrancar have seen in their long life. She also couldn't help but feel empathetic of his words about never giving up on a friend even though said friend tried to kill him. She gained a new level of respect for him.

Sora chuckled. "I guess you're right."

Apacci just groaned. "I think you're too nice for your own good."

"Maybe I am." Sora said, "I'm sure you would do the same for Mila Rose and Sung-Sun."

"WHHAATT...Are ya talking about!?" Apacci spat out. "Like I give a damn about these two broads!"

"What ya say you little cantaloupe!?" Mila Rose shot back, causing Apacci to glare at her.

"They do care for one another." Halibel said while shooting a glance that made them stop. "More then they show."

Sora chuckled nervously. "I'll take your word for it."

For the next few minutes, everything remained silent. However, that silence was interrupted when suddenly, they heard screaming from the distance. Turning to the right, they saw five Arrancars come into view.

"I guess these are the ones we were looking for." Sung-Sun said.

"Bout time they showed up." Apacci said, cracking her knuckles.

However, Sora couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. The way these Arrancar were screaming and running, it looked like they were trying to get away from something. Before he could confront them, something unexpected happened. All five of them were suddenly blasted by an orange flare.

All the four females and human's eyes widen as they saw the Arrancars burn to death.

"What was that!?" Sora asked, shocked by the development.

"I don't know but I don't like the look of this." Mila Rose said, narrowing her eyes. Suddenly, a large nine-foot-tall figure stomped out from the smoke. As it stepped out, the five got a better look at the figure. It was a muscular Hollow, with its torso, shoulders, forearms covered in bones, acting as armor, with spikes coming out of them. It wore a ragged loincloth and had metallic talons for feet. The top of its head was like a tiger, with its eyes and lower jaw covered in bones as well. its hollow hole was positioned in the center of its chest.

"Whoa! Who is that?" Sora asked, amazed.

"Why are you asking us like we know!?" Apacci shot back.

Sung-Sun narrowed her eyes. "This spirit energy. Master Halibel…"

"I know." Halibel said without looking back. "A Vasto Lorde."

"Vasto Lorde." Sora parroted before remembering. "Wait, Starrk and Lilynette told me a bit about them."

"The final stage of evolution for the Menos Grande." Sung-Sun informed. "However, because they are such a rare sight, it is said the exact number of them could be counted by a single hand."

"Really?" Sora said, not knowing they were that hard to find.

"Lord Aizen has been searching for the Vasto Lorde to recruit them." Halibel said before focusing on the tiger-like Vasto Lorde. "While we failed on apprehending the Arrancars, recruiting a Vasto Lorde should more than suffice."

"Master!" Apacci called out.

"I'll handle this." She said before walking up to the tiger.

The tiger-Hollow noticed the presence of the Third Espada, causing him to snarl in disgust. **"Great, more Arrancars. As if these pests weren't bad enough."**

"Tell me, Vasto Lorde." Halibel asked. "To what reason did you attack these Arrancars?"

" **If you must know, I was trying to get some rest when these five trespassed on my territory."** The tiger replied.

"So, you just killed them because of that!?" Sora asked, disgusted by his ruthlessness.

That drew the Vasto Lorde's attention to Sora, **"You! You're not a Soul Reaper or Arrancar. That must make you a human."**

"He is not your concern." Halibel cut him off. "I can sense that you possess immense spiritual power. On behalf of Lord Aizen, I would like to offer you a chance to join us."

" **Aizen!"** the Vasto Lorde repeated. **"So, that is his name. And what would make you think that I would join you!?"**

"For power." Halibel answered. "That is what I was offered when I joined Lord Aizen's ranks. Now I have gained power to crush my enemies and make sure no one ever hurts my subordinates again."

This was a surprise to Sora. He could see the raw conviction in her eyes when she said this. He noticed how the others were looking, as if remembering something bad. What happened that made them join Aizen?

"And by joining us, you will possess more power then you already have." Halibel said.

The tiger looked as if he was considering the proposal. However, Sora had this strange feeling that things were going to turn out differently.

And he was right.

" **As tempting as your offer is, I refuse! Another reason I killed those insects is because the one thing I cannot stomach is the idea of me or any Hollow ever allowing ourselves to be subjugated by a Soul Reaper!"** The tiger then began to release an intense amount of spiritual pressure. **"I think your precious Aizen will understand, when he receives nothing but your heads!"**

While the girls were slightly intimidated, Sora noticed that Halibel had a look that was more like annoyance.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." She sighed before reaching for her sword. However, before she could pull it out, her Fracciónes used Sonido to immediately appeared between her and the tiger.

The Third Espada's eyes slightly widen in surprise. "Girls…"

"Master Halibel, we see no reason for you to waste your power on him." Mila Rose said without turning.

"We will handle him." Sung-Sun stated.

"Yeah! Don't think we'll let a weakling like you touch our master." Apacci declared.

The Vasto Lorde just scuffed at their intrusion. **"So, you wish to die first, huh?"**

The girls got into a fighting stance, while Halibel decided to give them advice. "Be careful girls. He is a Vasto Lorde. Even a captain-class Soul Reaper would have difficulty facing against one. Use all your power to crush him."

"Yes, Master Halibel! We won't let you down!" All of them said in unison.

"Want me to help them?" Sora offered.

Halibel shook her head. "No, not yet. You should take this time to see how they fight."

Sora nodded while looking at the girls. Apacci was the first to charge. She removed her wrist cuff that took the form of chakrams. She threw them both at the tiger but he blocked them with his armored arms, deflecting them. He raised a fist to punch her but was suddenly slashed in the right shoulder by Mila Rose. She swung her sword around to strike him again, but he grabbed it with his bare hand and used threw her a few feet away from him. Mila Rose used the momentum to land on her feet, sliding across the sand.

Before the tiger could move to attack, he felt his leg struck by something. The attack was Sung-Sun, with her sai peeking out of her sleeve. "You should be aware that this is a three-on-one fight." She snided.

The tiger growled. " **I'll admit you pest are more trouble than I anticipated. But that won't be enough to defeat me."** He began generating spirit energy into his hand until it began glowing bright yellow. Then without warning, he slammed his open palm down onto the sand. The impact from that cause a small but strong sandstorm to occur. The sand was so intense that the girls began coughing and could barely see with all that sand.

Apacci, who was trying to regain her sight, looked all over for the tiger Vasto Lorde, wondering where he disappeared to. However, her question would be answered when the tiger came from behind, raising his fist. Apacci reacted enough to block the punch with her forearm, but didn't stop her from flying away from the impact. She was sent flying but was caught by Mila Rose.

The tiger Vasto Lord grinned, crossing his arms. **"Do you still believe you can win?"**

* * *

Sora became concerned over the girl's chances. He looked over at Halibel, who remained calm. "Aren't we going to help them?"

"This fight has only begun." Halibel noted. "You should have faith in their abilities."

"I know but…"

"Do not be concerned. If the fight turns against them then I shall intervene." Halibel said before they both resumed watching the fight.

* * *

"Man, that punch was something." Apacci groaned, while rubbing her bruised arm. "Felt like I was hit by a boulder."

"Can you still fight?" Mila Rose asked.

"Relax my arm's still fine. Just bruised." Apacci said, getting back up.

Sung-Sun walked over to her comrades. "You should be more careful. He is a Vasto Lorde after all."

"Yeah, well we better do something. We can't let Master Halibel down." Mila Rose said tensely, while looking at the tiger.

" **Are you three finished!"** The tiger yelled out, drawing their attention. **"If not, then it's time I got serious!"** The Vasto Lorde crossed his arm. Then, from the back of his armored forearms, long sharp blades began to grow out. ( _ **A/N: Like Baraka's Tarkatan blades**_ ).

"Here he comes." Sung-Sun said. "Get ready."

"You don't have to tell me!" Apacci said before throwing her chakrams at him. The tiger blocked them both with his blades, causing sparks to fly from the intense rotation. The tiger then swiped them away. Then, placing his left blade on top of his right blade, he scraped his blades together causing a large spark to be sent flying, aimed directly at Apacci. Fortunately, she used Sonido to dodge it by a hair. The spark however, clear-sliced the large bedrock behind her like butter.

Before the tiger could move, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun attacked him simultaneously, causing him to go on the defensive. He used his blades to block all their various strikes but then went on the offensive and jumped high in the air with his strong legs. He got a clear view of them from his height. Grinning, his blades began to glow and placed them together.

" **Tempest swing!"** Swapping his blades, this time, he released a sharp compressed air blade flying towards them. The three dodged at the last second, but the result from the attack felt a long deep crater in the sand.

"He's tougher then he looks." Apacci said looking back at the crater.

"He's a Vasto Lorde. This wasn't going to be an easy fight." Sung-Sun said narrowing her eyes.

"Well, we have to do something. This is getting out of hand." Mila Rose said.

"Think we should use our Resurrección." Apacci suggested.

"That could work." Mila Rose considered.

"No." Sung-Sun pointed out. "He's powerful but he's not in the same level as the current Espadas. We should save that for the actual battle. Besides, it's best not to show Sora our full power, for now."

"Then we'll just have to keep him pinned." Mila Rose suggested. For once, all three of them agreed on something.

The tip of Apacci's horn began glowing red where she blasted a red Cero from it. The tiger stood there. His hole beginning to glow yellow and launched a yellow Cero from it the collided with Apacci's Cero, causing them to both explode. The tiger jumped in the air, attempting to fire another Tempest Swing. Until Mila Rose appeared behind him. Taken off guard, she spun around and delivered a kick onto his stomach, sending him flying into the ground.

Before he could get up, Sung-Sun appeared and used her sai to stab him in the upper arm, where it was vulnerable. The Tiger screamed as he was impaled. Sung-Sun removed it, causing blood to drip, before moving away for distance.

"Alright! Now let's finish this!" Apacci declared before the three attacked simultaneously. Her chakrams striking his shoulders, Mila Rose's sword slashing his back, and Sung-Sun stabbing his left leg.

The Vasto Lorde screamed in pain as he was wounded. He got down on his knees and caught his breath.

* * *

Halibel was both satisfied and proud of their teamwork, "See what could be done when working as a team."

Sora didn't argue with her, as he was also impressed by how well they worked together with those coordinated attacks. "I gotta admit, you were right. The way the work together, I might even have trouble fighting them."

But still, Sora couldn't shake off this nagging feeling that this was not the end of it.

And he would be right.

* * *

"Oh Yeah!" Apacci pumped her fist, "If we keep this up we may actually win."

"Don't let your guard down yet," Mila Rose informed, "This fight isn't over and I don't want you getting kill cause of your inflated ego."

"WHAT WAS THAT!" Apacci snapped at her. "Why don't you say that to my face, you brainless bimbo!"

Now Mila Rose was ticked, "WHAT'D YOU CALL ME!?"

Sung-Sun was about to reprimand her comrades and make a snide remark as always, but was suddenly interrupted when a burst of spirit energy overtook them. They looked and saw the tiger Vasto Lorde getting up. By the look on his face, he was clearly pissed.

" **I've let you pest make a fool of me for long enough!"** The tiger roared. **"It's time I showed you what true power is like!"** Suddenly, the spikes on his armor retracted, leaving gaping holes inside him. Then the oddest thing happened, they began releasing a strange gas that overtook the area.

Apacci sniffed around and caught a foul scent that caused her to grimace in disgust. "Ugh! What the hell is this!?"

Sung-Sun narrowed her eyes. What was the Vasto Lorde planning? And why did this gas smell familiar? She looked at the tiger and saw him smirking sadistically. He was clicking his blades together, as if he was lighting something. Her eyes widened when she finally realized what he was planning. Wasting no time, she hurried and pulled Apacci out of the way. Just in time as the tiger's blades sparked, causing the gas to ignite in flame, resulting in an explosion.

The girl's eyes widen when they saw the explosion. Sung-Sun finally realized what that gas was. It was methane.

* * *

"What the…?" Sora said in surprise. "What did he do!?"

Halibel narrowed her eyes. "It was methane. One of the most flammable gases. It would seem he has the power to produce a strong gas from his body and ignites it to unleash fire based attacks."

Looking back, Sora realized that that must have been how those Arrancars burned to death. He narrowed his eyes, this fight was taking a turn for the worst.

* * *

"Man." Apacci said, "This guy's just full tricks huh."

The tiger began laughing. **"That was just a warm up. You three have fallen for my trap."** The girls looked confused before realizing that they were surrounded by walls of rocks, unable to escape. This must have been what he was planning.

" **Now it's time to end this!"** The tiger began sucking in the remaining traces of methane like a vacuum. Then, using his teeth as matches, he ignited the methane and launched a torrent of fire at them.

Seeing no way out, the girls raised their arms and closed their eyes. However, the attack never came. The girls looked and, to their surprise, Sora was standing in front of them, donned in his Second Form and used his Keyblade to create a reflect barrier.

"Sora!?" Apacci said in shock.

"Sorry but, I hope you don't mind if I take over?" Sora said.

Halibel was about to intervene but then Sora beat her to it. Regardless, she stood there, wanting to see how the Keyblade wielder would handle this.

" **So, you wish to die to human!?"** the tiger said.

"You three should get back now." Sora said while getting into his fighting stance. "I'll take care of him."

"Wait, hold on. We can still…" Mila Rose wanted to argue but Sung-Sun grabbed her shoulder. By the expression on her face, it looked like she was saying to let Sora handle this. Mila Rose relented, "C'mon Apacci, let's go."

Apacci followed, not before looking back at the Spikey-haired boy. "Kick his ass twice as hard for us."

Sora looked over and smirked. "You got it."

The Vasto Lorde planned to impale Sora with his blade but Sora performed an overhead jump and landed behind him. He performed a lightning spell the struck the tiger's back.

Growling in pain and frustration, the Vasto Lorde attempted to stab Sora but he deflected it with his Keyblade and preformed a series of strikes in his torso. He slides between his legs and preforms Sonic Blade, attacking the tiger from all sides. Furious, the tiger preformed another Tempest Swing, however, Sora casted reflect, absorbing the attack and redirecting a more powerful one at him. The tiger was sent flying upon impact.

Before he could react, Sora jumped in the air and struck him five times, then his Keyblade glowed brightly **_"Shotlock Max: Ragnarok!"_** He performed his Shotlock skill and fired the beams straight at the Vasto Lorde, causing an explosion on impact.

Needless to say, the three girls were amazed at the sight.

"Wow, he's handling him without a hitch." Apacci said, impressed.

"Well he was able to give Nnoitra and Tōsen a run for their money." Mila Rose mentioned.

"I can see why Master Halibel and Lord Aizen speak highly of him." Sung-Sun mention.

The tiger got up, though staggered a bit. He looked up to see Sora just looking down on him.

"Had enough yet?" he demanded.

This angered the Vasto Lorde greatly. **"I don't care what power you possess, Human!"** he declared, **"I won't lose to the likes of you!"**

Suddenly, the tiger began releasing a large amount of methane that began to surround him. Everyone expected him to dodge, but surprised them all when he didn't.

"What are you doing?!" Mila Rose cried out.

"Are you crazy!?" Apacci shouted.

"Sora move!" Sung-Sun cried.

Then the tiger ignited the gas. Everyone thought this was it but then the Keybearer did something unexpected. Standing his ground, he raised his Keyblade and froze the flames solid. Then the frozen flames shattered and melted, turning the sand all muddy.

The tiger looked stupefied at this development. **"H-he…f-froze my…"**

Sora held his Keyblade over his shoulder. "How'd you like that?" Not finished yet, Sora held his Keyblade forward as a liquid substance began to emanate from it.

" _Water!_ " Suddenly, a water dome covered him as he launched a torrent of water that sent the Vasto Lorde flying into a mud puddle, which was created as a result of the water, covering his whole body.

The tiger wiped his face, gritting his teeth at this development. _**"This cannot be happening! How can I be losing? I am a Vasto Lorde. The highest form of evolution all the weaker Hollows dream of achieving. If I lose to a human I'll never be able to look at myself ever again!"**_

" **Are you so desperate to die that you would think of angering me!?"** He yelled as his body began glowing. **"Let's see if you survive when I unleash all my gas."** He raised his arms out, **"Prepare yourself, Human! THIS IS THE EN…"** However, another unexpected thing happened. Instead of gas, his whole armor suddenly exploded. The tiger froze in terror at this sight.

The girls looked confused.

"What the hell." Apacci said, "What happened?"

"Why did his armor explode?" Sung-Sun asked. "It doesn't make since."

"Allow me to explain." The girls looked to see Halibel standing before them.

"Master Halibel?" Mila Rose wondered what she had to say.

As Halibel explained, let me give a play-by-play. When Sora froze the flames, it caused the ice to melt from the heat. When it fell on the sand, it solidified it enough to withstand any pressure. Then, when he performed Water, the solid sand that covered the Vasto Lorde, which also plugged up those holes in his armor. So, when he began to release more gas, the clogged holes prevented it from escaping. Without an exit, the pressure began to build up until it couldn't be contained anymore. Which resulted in his armor exploding and body being damaged.

It was… sort of interesting for the girls. They certainly never expected that.

"He thought of all that on his own." Apacci said, impressed.

"I knew he was a skilled fighter but I wasn't expecting that." Mila Rose muttered.

"Sora may be brash at times however, from what I have seen he has a firm grasp when it comes to fighting." Halibel said. "He is able to analyze his surroundings and use them to his advantage. Combined with his tenacity, this makes him a formidable warrior."

Sung-Sun couldn't argue with that. Sora proved to be more interesting by the minute.

The tiger fell on his knees. His whole body covered in blood. Sora sighed deeply as he put his Keyblade away and returned to normal. "You were right. This is the end. This fight is over. You lost." Sora turned back to leave. However, the tiger mustard what little energy it had left and blindly lunged to attack Sora. The Keyblade wielder saw him coming but before he could retaliate, the tiger was blasted by three Ceros. One was red colored, the other was orange, the third was dark-pink. The Vasto Lorde fall to the ground, defeated for good.

Sora looked to see that Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun had done the deed.

"We knew you could have defended yourself." Sung-Sun said, "But we wanted to have the last attack."

Sora shrugged. "It's okay. This was your fight to."

"Still you managed to defeat a Vasto Lorde. That was an impressive accomplishment on your part." Halbel complimented.

Sora chuckled, "I've dealt with tougher guys than him, believe me. Besides, Apacci and the others held their own pretty good."

"Yeah but we would've been in trouble if that fight went on longer." Apacci admitted. Halibel turned to them, causing them to flinch. They thought she was going to chew them out for their failure.

"He is right. You three fought well." She said much to their surprise. "Use this experience to grow stronger for the battles to come."

The three-stood straight and lowered their heads respectfully to their master. "Yes Master Halibel!"

Sora smiled at how kind Halibel was to them. Then he looked over at the unconscious Vasto Lorde. "So, what do we do with him? Do we take him back?"

"No." Halibel said, simply. "We have enough troublesome Arrancars as is. If we weren't able to get him to join us then he never will." She then motioned to everyone to follow her. "Come. Let us return to Las Noches."

While they were walking, Sora couldn't help but recall something. "Hey, Halibel can I ask you something?"

The Third Espada looked towards their human guest. "What would that be?"

"Earlier, you told that Vasto Lorde about how Aizen recruited you, giving power to protect people." He decided to take the chance, "I was wondering if you could tell me what happened to you?"

They certainly weren't expecting that. The Fracciónes looked over at their master who was dwelling on an answer. Sora wondered what was with the hesitance. Was it something personal?"

Halibel broke the silence. "Since you were willing to share some personal information with us, it would be fair if I did the same."

"You remembered when Lord Aizen informed you that Hollows eat souls to quell their emptiness, but he didn't tell you everything. There is actually more to it. When the void can no longer be sustained by human souls, Hollows will resort to eating each other." Halibel then narrowed her eyes. "And women are the ones whom are targeted the most." Halibel said.

Sora narrowed his eyes at this. Their hunger was so strong they'd start eating each other? An idea like that disgusted him to no end. He couldn't imagine ever living in a place like Hueco Mundo.

He looked over and noticed her Fracciónes looked more discomfort then before. "Before becoming an Arrancar, I was once a Vasto Lorde," Sora did not know that. "Back then, I was gathering other female Hollows into a group so that we could increase our chances of survival. My Fracciónes were among them."

"So that explains how you know each other so well." Sora figured. He was still surprised to hear that Halibel was at the highest level of evolution before becoming an Arrancar. Of course, this did explain how she was one of the top three Espada.

"Yes." Halibel answered with a nod. "Together, we fought off any attackers. Sometimes we killed if we were left no choice, but for the most part we simply chased our foes away. We never ate any of them."

Sora was surprised, yet also relieved, by this. "That's great to hear but why didn't you."

Halibel looked Sora straight in the eye, making him lean back from her piercing gaze. "I did not wish to become stronger by sacrificing others."

Apacci decided to speak up. "I asked the same to Master Halibel after a while. She told us that there is no world without sacrifices,"

"But if we were forced to make casualties on others." Mila Rose added. "We would sustain casualties of our own."

"That's why Master Halibel decided that if she couldn't defeat someone on her own, then she would rely on the power of a group." Sung-Sun explained.

Sora couldn't argue with that. After all, it was thanks to Donald and Goofy that he could make it as a Keyblade wielder. He couldn't help but recall the time he told Phil the source of his strength.

"We were doing well for ourselves for a while," Halibel continued. "However, one day, we were attacked by an Arrancar who had a grudge against us back when he was a Hollow. We fought with all our might but he was too powerful to defeat. He would have killed me had it not been for Lord Aizen's arrival. After he struck down the Arrancar, he apologized to us for having given that Arrancar his power. It was then that Lord Aizen offered for me to join him." Halibel looked over at her Fracciónes. "In exchange, I would be granted power. Power that I could use to protect my subordinates without a sacrifice. I accepted and Lord Aizen then turned all four of us into Arrancar.

Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun all smiled at Halibel and Sora couldn't resist a smile of his own. After hearing all that, he saw why those three were so devoted to Halibel. It also strengthened his own beliefs that not all Arrancars are bad.

"I'm guessing that's when you became the Third Espada, right?" Sora asked.

Halibel shook her head. "No. After becoming Arrancars, we were placed under the supervision of the previous Third Espada for a while. After a few years, I replaced her and then I made the others my Fracciónes."

"The previous Third Espada?" Sora repeated, confused.

Halibel realized his confusion. "There was another female Arrancar who was Third Espada before me. For reason beyond understanding, she disappeared one day and I was made her replacement. I'm sorry but I'm afraid that's all I can say."

Sora was still curious but decided to accept the answer. "Thanks for telling me even though you didn't have to."

Halibel nodded, "Your welcome." With that, everyone started heading back.

* * *

"HEY SORA!"

The moment Sora set foot in Las Noches, he was immediately kicked to the ground by a grinning Lilynette. Much to the Fracciónes amusement.

"C'mon Lilynette!" Sora said while groaning. "Give me a break."

"Bout time you got back." The little girl Arrancar said, "Starrk found out about my prank. But he only chased me for a few minutes before going back to sleep."

"Yeah well maybe you should think twice before drawing on his face." Apacci said as Sora got up.

"Oh, what's it too ya." She shot back, "By the way, how'd the mission go?"

"There was a little unexpected occurrence." Halibel said. "Speaking of which, were you waiting for us the entire time?"

Lilynette looked at Halibel, "No, I just got here a few minutes ago but I saw you guys coming. So, can you tell me how the mission went?"

Before they could answer, suddenly all five of the Arrancars were frozen in place, much to Sora's concern. They stayed that way for a few minutes before, they looked at Sora

"What's going on?" He asked.

"We're going to report to Lord Aizen about the mission." Halibel said. "You should wait here. This won't take long."

Sora had a feeling that something else was going on but decided not to say anything. "Okay." He said as the four began walking on a head.

"Hey Sora!" Lilynette called, "I'm gonna go with them for a bit. I kinda want to hear this."

"Yeah, go on." Sora said, "I'm gonna walk around for a little bit." With that Lilynette went off.

Since he was sure Starrk was still mad, he decided to do something different. He went off to the exit of Las Noches, planning to walk around outside.

* * *

Unknown to Sora, the true reason for the others departure was because they received orders from _Tenteikūra,_ the 77th Bakudō spell that allows the caster to communicate with anyone they wished. They received word that Yammy and Ulquiorra had returned from the World of the Living and all Arrancars were to report to the throne room to discuss this matter. However, they were given strict orders that Sora does not know about this. While they felt uncomfortable lying to him, they had orders to obey and did as followed.

Now, everyone had gathered in the throne room. They were in the same positions as they were when Sora first came to Hueco Mundo. The door opened and Ulquiorra and Yammy came walking in. However, Yammy appeared battered and bruised. But the most shocking thing was that he was missing an arm. This caught everyone's attention.

The two-continued walking until they reached the center of the room. Yammy kneeled before Aizen while Ulquiorra stood still. "We have returned, Lord Aizen."

Aizen looked down at his two Espadas. "Welcome back, Ulquiorra and Yammy. So, tell me what you have accomplished here. In front of your twenty brothers."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora had been walking around aimlessly for the last ten minutes. He knew he was taking a chance by walking around the desert. After all, there was a chance that he could be attacked by Hollows or that Vasto Lorde he beat up. Not that he was scared. He was confident that he could handle the average Hollows here.

He was about to lay down on a rock and catch some sleep but something caught his attention. In the distance, he could see a giant dust cloud moving ahead. Curious, he decided to investigate it. When he got closer, he saw something that he clearly wasn't expecting.

Running was what appeared to be a small figure covered in rags. Sora could make out smalls hands sticking out and the lower half of her facing. He heard sounds that was like the screams of a little girl. She was being chased by three creatures that certainly didn't look like any Hollows he's ever seen.

The first one wore a mask, which resembles an insect with large mandibles and horns, that completely covered his head. His large left eye, yellow in color, is visible through an eye-hole on the front of his mask while the right was covered by a purple eye patch. He had blond hair sticking out from under the back of his mask. The majority of his body was purple, but he wore a white, armor-like vest that covered the upper part of his torso, as well as white armor on his forearms and shins. He also wore a loincloth around his waist, which was a lighter shade of purple than the rest of his body. His Hollow hole was positioned near his stomach, directly beneath the edge of his vest. He also had three toes on each foot.

The second one was a large creature with a heavyset, but dumpy body with short appendages with small, white hands and feet. He wore a hooded yellow bodysuit which was covered with black polka dots of varying sizes. His head was very large, being almost as big as his body, covering his entire head. His mask resembled that of a stereotypical tiki mask with exaggerated colorful features, including large eyes and teeth, as well as a prominent nose.

The last one was a giant, snake-like Hollow whose mask consisted of a simple plate on his head with a pair of horns. He had large pink lips and equally large teeth.

Sora could see that they were making sinister noises while the little girl was running for her life. The Keyblade wielder narrowed his eyes. He knew he had to do something.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: I hoped you like that surprise. Kairi is currently within the deepest underground part of Las Noches and was captured by Aizen. From what I learned, The Final World it's basically Limbo, the border between life and death. As Xehanort stated, when Kingdom Hearts was opened, it caused a distortion that spread everywhere. Aizen used that to find Kairi and bring her here. As of now, Sora has no idea but will find out in due time. As for the light in Kairi that shined, I'm sure you know who it is.**_

 _ **Next Time: The Arrancars begin to voice their opinions on Sora. Whether he is an asset or threat. Meanwhile, Sora meets a group of strange Arrancars that he has ever seen. Until next time. Please review.**_


	7. Nel Tu!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: I reached the seventh chapter already. Hope you enjoy. And remember, I don't own Bleach or Kingdom Hearts.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 7: "Nel Tu! The Kind Arrancar!"**_

The three Hollow creatures were continuing to chase the crying little girl. However, before they could catch her, a small wall of fire soon struck the ground, separating the three monsters and the little girl. The three chasers immediately stop and looked around in fright to see what caused that fire. They found their answer when Sora jumped off from the mild cliff he was on and landed right in front of them. The three monsters began freaking out at the sight of him.

"If you jerks want to get to this girl, then you'll have to deal with me first!" He said to them, angry that these three big guys would try and pick on a defenseless girl. He summoned his Keyblade and got into a fighting stance, ready to knock some sense into those jerks.

But before he could do anything, a voice yelled from behind him. "Stop it! Please stop!"

Confused, the Keyblade wielder turned around. The little girl removed her hood, so Sora could see her face. She had green hair and had a skull on her head. Sora's eyes widened when he realized that she must be an Arrancar. But for some reason her mask was cracked. Sora could see a scar on her forehead. She also had a red line that ran across the center of her face.

"Stop bullying us!" The little girl cried. "What we ever do to you!?"

"But wait a minute." Sora said, very confused. "Weren't they attacking you?"

* * *

"Alright, Ulquiorra. Show us what you have experienced in the World of the Living." Aizen ordered. "All of it."

"Yes sir." Ulquiorra responded, before plucking out his own eyeball. He held it out in front of him. "See for yourselves." Was what he said before crushing his eye. The eye turned to small particles and it spread all over the room. Said particles flew towards everyone present, all of whom closed their eyes and saw what Ulquiorra witnessed during his mission. This was one of Ulquiorra's abilities, " _Solita Vista_."

( _ **A/N: I won't go into details on that since there were no real changes to that fight from the canon. Besides, I'm sure all you Bleach fans know what happened during Ulquiorra and Yammy's attack.)**_

"I understand." Aizen said with closed eyes, having finished seeing Ulquiorra's observation. "So, I see that you decided that he wasn't worth killing."

"Yes, the order was to kill anyone who might be an obstacle." The Fourth Espada explained. "And we learned that there was no one."

"You're soft!" Ulquiorra looked to see Grimmjow, giving a mocking smirk. "If it had been me, I would have killed both of them with the first strike."

Ulquiorra glanced back at his fellow Espada. "Grimmjow."

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Grimmjow continued his rant. "If kill him was part of the order, then obviously you and that oaf should have killed him right. _RIGHT_!"

Next to Grimmjow is a long faced Arrancar with long black hair, braided and hanging over his shoulder. What remained of his mask was on the top of his head, with a portion dropping down to cover the upper-left half of his face, and a long spike that points to his right. He wore the standard Arrancar uniform. His name is Shawlong Koufang, a member of Grimmjow's Fracciónes (and the unofficial second-in-command).

He decided to speak up as well, "And I agree; The boy stood up to you. I say you should have killed him, be he worthy or not."

Grimmjow then leered at the Tenth Espada, "And look at you, Yammy. You're a mess. Then you come back and tell us he wasn't worth killing. Looks to me like you guys couldn't kill him!"

Yammy merely glanced back at the Sixth Espada. "Grimmjow, it was clear. I know you saw what happened. That guy wearing clogs and that damned dark-skinned girl beat me up."

This didn't help his case at all. "That is so pathetic." The Sixth Espada said. "A guy wearing wooden shoes and a female beat you!"

This was the last straw for Yammy, "PATHETIC HUH!" He angrily got up and would've attacked Grimmjow, had Ulquiorra not stopped him. Before he could say anything, Shawlong decided to voice another opinion he had for a while. "And speaking of unruly boys, there is another topic I wish to address. One involving our most recent guest."

Everyone knew that by _guest_ he was referring to Sora. Most looked closely to hear what he had to say, while Starrk, Lilynette, even Halibel and her Fracciónes, narrowed their eyes. They had a feeling he wasn't planning on saying nice things about him.

"For instance, aren't you bothered by the fact of allowing a human into our midst." He said to Aizen, who didn't respond and just continued to show his smug grin.

The next person to speak was a very large Arrancar, with long red hair. However, half of his hair was shaved and black. The remains of his Hollow mask were merely the eye holes, which rest on his nose, looking as if he was wearing unusual glasses. He wore the usual Arrancar uniform but he left his jacket open, revealing the Hollow hole on his chest. He is Edrad Liones, another member of Grimmjow's Fracciónes. "And I should say it calls for concern. Considering that this mere human managed to fight on par with the fifth most powerful Espada." This caused Nnoitra to glare daggers at him, causing Edrad to back off slightly.

"Plus, doesn't this seem fishy to you." Said another male Arrancar with long blonde hair and red eyes. The remains of his Hollow mask sat atop his head, vaguely resembling a broken helmet. In addition, he wore the standard Arrancar uniform. He was another member of Grimmjow's Fracciónes, Yylfordt Granz. "This guy shows up outta nowhere, claims he has no memory of himself and comes from another world. And now he thinks he's high and mighty going off and picking fights with Espadas."

"Are you suggesting Lord Aizen would lie about this?" Tōsen said with a warning tone, causing Yylfordt to flinch, not wanting to anger his leader.

"That's not what I meant." Yylfordt corrected. "What I meant was that I find it hard to believe that this kid is one of those ancient warriors you mentioned."

"I understand your skepticism." Aizen said, "But I believe the power he has displayed thus far says otherwise."

"And that is what I am trying to say." Shawlong said. "We know Sora is powerful enough to fight against an Espada, but as what Master Grimmjow had informed us, his memories have limited his abilities, so there is no predicting how powerful he will become when they are restored. He is a wildcard and I believe you are taking too much of a risk letting him stay here."

Sure enough, a good number of the Arrancars couldn't help but agree with what Grimmjow's Fracciónes have brought up. Sora's powers surely made him a bigger threat than that Ichigo Kurosaki person. Especially since he knew all their secrets and abilities. All this negative opinion made Lilynette angry, as she gritted her teeth and clenched her hands. She didn't like what they were saying about Sora one bit. Starrk could see her anger building, not that he could blame her. He also hated what they were saying about Sora, even if he didn't show it.

"Your Fracciónes can actually be smart for once." Every looked to see Baraggan, with his Fracciónes behind him. "I'll say it again. We were doing fine without that brat interfering with our plans. So, I say we kill him now while he's vulnerable."

Nnoitra grinned sadistically. "I say you should let me do the honors."

"SHUT UP!" Everyone turned to see Lilynette's scream echo across the entire room. What Baraggan and Nnoitra said was the last straw for her and she wasn't going to take it anymore. "Stop calling him a threat! Stop saying he's better off dead! You assholes don't even know him! You have no right to say all that stuff!" She quickly turned and pointed straight at Grimmjow's Fracciónes. "Especially you jerks!"

They were taken off guard by her outburst, but Grimmjow recovered quickly and let out a small laugh. "Looks like you've become buddy-buddy with Sora huh pipsqueak." He mocked her while she gritted her teeth. "But don't go accusing me of anything. The only reason I didn't bother doing anything against that kid was cause I could kill him anytime I want."

Lilynette was about to lash out again, but then smirked as an idea came to her mind. "Oh, really. Because I think your just scared."

Grimmjow stopped laughing after he heard that remark. "What!" Did she say what he thinks she said.

"Yeah, I mean if Sora could take on the Fifth Espada, then obviously he should make mincemeat outta you, since you're lower ranked then him." Lilynette said, clearly trying to get back at Grimmjow. "I think the real reason you haven't fought Sora is because you know you can't win."

The rest of Grimmjow's Fracciónes were shocked that she had the nerve to say that. Did she have a death wish or something?

Grimmjow however, was pissed off, more than he ever was. "Why you little brat!"

"That is enough." Now it was Halibel's turn to speak. "Despite Lilynette's outburst, I too have to agree that you shouldn't jump to conclusions about Sora." Her Fracciónes nodded in agreement.

Nnoitra scuffed at her remark. "So you four are taking her side now."

"Who cares about sides." Apacci said, "At least Sora's a lot cooler than you bastards."

"Plus, he went out of his way to help us during the mission we had to today." Mila Rose stated.

"Something you wouldn't bother lifting a finger to do." Sung-Sun finished.

Everyone was surprised by how highly they were speaking about Sora, since they mostly kept to themselves. There was something they said that caught Aizen's attention.

"Ah yes, that reminds me," Aizen said before looking over at Halibel. "Tell me, how did the mission go?"

Halibel looked over, seeing that everyone's attention was focused on her. It was times like this where she wished she had Solita Vista like Ulquiorra. Regardless, she decided to explain the best that she could.

"Very well then." She said before beginning.

* * *

The three Arrancars explained to Sora that they weren't chasing her to do anything bad to her, but that they had actually been playing a game, called Eternal Tag. Now, the little girl, the insect headed one, and the guy in the Tiki mask were bowing down to Sora.

"We're so sorry." The insect one said. "We didn't mean for our game of Eternal Tag to cause any trouble."

"No, it's alright." Sora said rubbing the back of his head. "I'm the one who should be sorry for attacking you guys without asking what was going on." He apologized before moving on to another topic. "So, you guys play a game called Eternal Tag?"

"Yeah!" The little girl said. "It's lots of fun. You should try it."

"There's not really much to do out here in Hueco Mundo, know what I'm talkin' about?" The tiki masked one said.

Sora nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it does make sense. But wait a second," He looked over at the girl. "If this was a game, then why were you crying?"

The little girl gave Sora a toothy grin. "That's because Nel is a masochist, so it's no fun if Nel doesn't cry a little."

Sora's eyes widened as he was caught off guard with what that little girl just said. He may not have performed his best in Middle School, but he learned a few words from his study session with Kairi. He knew _that_ was one word a girl her physical age shouldn't be saying.

Angrily, he looked over at the other two guys. "What kind of words are you teaching this girl!?" He demanded, while the other two guys backed away nervously.

"Hey, I got an idea!" The insert one said, changing the subject, "Why don't tell each other our names!"

"That's right!" The little girl said. "My full name is Nel Tu and these are my brothers."

"These guys are your brothers?" Sora asked, confused.

"Yup. That's right." The insect one said. "I'm Nel's older brother, Pesche."

"And I'm the oldest brother, Dondochakka?" The tiki one, now named Dondochakka, said.

"And this is our pet Bawabawa." Nel said, the three on them pointing to the giant worm, causing him to bawl in happiness.

"Oh…well nice to meet you guys." Sora said.

"By the way, what are you?" Nel asked. "You don't look like any Arrancar Nel has ever seen. In fact, you have no mask and wearing those black clothes. It's almost like you're a…" Nel began to trail off as she realized something was different about Sora.

Shaking, Nel asked, "Uh…are you a Soul Reaper?"

Sora shook his head before replying, "No I'm not. I'm actually a human."

While that calmed them down, they immediately blinked when they realized what he said. "AAAHHHHH!" Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka all screamed. "A human? That means…he's a bad guy!" They said, pointing at Sora.

"Huh? No, I'm not." Sora said, waving his hands in front of them.

"He's gonna hurt us!" Pesche cried out as he, Nel, and Dondochakka were running around, yelling like lunatics. Bawabawa however, began thrashing his body while wailing.

"No, I'm not gonna hurt you." Sora said, trying to calm the four down.

It seemingly worked, as the three of them stopped and calmed down. Before Sora could explain, the three suddenly got into an action pose, "Get him!" The three shouted as they at Sora. Said person, began away from while thinking of a way out of this.

* * *

Two weeks have passed since the group of Keyblade wielders began their search for Sora and Kairi. They first began by searching every world Sora has been to since his start of his journey. Unfortunately, the search continued for a few more days, yet there had been no signs of Sora or Kairi anywhere. They eventually withheld the search for now and returned to Radiant Garden, gathering at the Central Square next to castle gate. There current plan now was to see if Ansem the Wise or the others had any luck with gathering Naminé's data. The Sea-Salt trio and Wayfinder Trio were currently waiting for Riku, who had arrived at the castle earlier.

"This feels nostalgic." Terra claimed, as he looked around the central. Aqua nodded, feeling the same as well. "The last time we were here was almost a decade ago. We fought an Unversed together and met many people here."

"Yeah. A lot has happened since then." Ven said, before recalling something else. "Lea, this used to be your home world, along with Isa right?"

Said redhead nodded as he also looked around, seeing citizens lively walking around, smiling in recollection. "Yeah, this place is as lively as ever. Still have those days memorized."

"Really? You never told us that this was your home." Xion glanced at him with a puzzled look.

"Never came up in a conversation." He shrugged. Though his thoughts drifted towards his friend Isa. While searching for Sora, they've also been trying to see if Isa was in any of the worlds the Organization kept track of. But, much like with Sora and Kairi, they also had no such luck. Lea couldn't help but wonder where he could have gone.

"Hey, it's Riku." Roxas said, snapping Lea out of his thoughts. Everyone saw Riku exiting the castle gates, the silver-haired boy walking over to his friends.

"How'd it go?" He asked as everyone explained the futility of their search, which caused Riku mood to sour. "So, you guys couldn't find them."

"No. We check everywhere but…nothing." Xion responded, frustrated with the lack of results.

"We've searched every world Sora's been to but none of them have seen him or Kairi." Roxas added.

"Have you tried talking to Ansem the Wise" asked Aqua. "Maybe he can help."

"Just came back from the castle." Riku said, sighing. "Ansem the Wise says that they've been putting her data in the replica, but haven't had any luck getting a signal."

"How's the restoration going?" Terra asked.

"Unfortunately, the data on her has been encrypted." Everyone turned to see Ienzo exiting the castle as well. "As a result, deciphering and transferring the data will take even longer than we anticipated."

"That's odd. It didn't take long for you to transfer my data into the replica." Roxas said as Riku sighed.

"Unfortunately, when I was forced to take her out of the virtual Twilight Town, Ansem the Wise encrypted most of her data to prevent her from entering and contacting Roxas." Riku revealed causing Roxas to look down in thought.

"Meaning it could take longer to find Kairi." Aqua said to which Ienzo solemnly nodded.

"Well, now that we have Ansem and Vexen too that should make things go faster." Ven said, trying to keep everyone's spirits up.

"But with how everything's been going…I'm not if we'll ever find them." Terra said, grimly, which silenced everyone present, not knowing what to say.

However, Xion, seeing everyone's expressions, tried to break the depressing atmosphere. "Everyone, I know I don't have much to go on, other than my feelings, but we can't just give up on him like that? If there's one thing we know about Sora, is that he never gives up even when then odds were against him." Xion then looked down as she placed her hand at her heart. "And if he can't then we'll be the pillars of light that bring him back to our realm. After all, that's what he did for all of us when we lost our way."

Everyone heard the determination in her words, the strong belief she had in them that they will find Sora. Then again, she was technically a part of Sora, so she had a few similarities to him, minus his childish and naïve nature.

Riku let out a soft chuckle before smiling. "Yeah, you're right. That's just the kind of guy Sora is." He said to everyone.

Everyone's moods seemed to brighten a bit after hearing that. True, while some may not have known Sora for long, they know the kind of person he is; the happy go-luck type that will go out of his way to help others in need.

"Yeah, it was Sora that kept me safe for so long and helped me find you." Ven said, looking at Terra. "I wouldn't be able to call myself his friend if I gave up now."

Roxas nodded. "Despite the fact that I accepted me fate as a Nobody, Sora refused to let that be the end of me and declared that I should be my own person."

"He went far for all of us." Xion stated. "Now it's time we repay him for all he's done."

"You're right. All our hearts are connected to him." Aqua said. "As long as we follow that connection, I'm sure we'll find him."

"I may not have known him long, but it was thanks to him that you two were saved." Terra stepped up. "I owe him a lot."

"Then it's time we get a move on." Lea spoke up. "I'm sure I'll find him first. After all, dark rescue is my middle name."

Everyone laughed at the comment. Ienzo let out a soft smile at their moment. "Then you should keep following that connection you all have. I'm sure it'll lead you to your goal."

The silver-haired boy nodded. "Thanks."

"Ienzo." A tall, broad-shouldered man with violet eyes, long black hair with long dreadlocks worn in a low ponytail and thick eyebrows and sideburns. He wore a military styled uniform, which was adorned with a curled heart symbol and white gloves with a heart symbol on it. His front jacket sported two rows of gold buttons, silver highlights, and a red and white heart. He also wears a black belt and black knee-high boots. This man is Dilan, an apprentice of Ansem and one of the guards of the castle.

"Dilan." Ienzo said surprised.

"I'm fortunate to have found the lot of you." Dilan said, noticing the gathered people. "I have some news his lordship."

"Is it about Isa?" The steel-blue haired scientist asked.

The dark-haired guard shock his head. "Unfortunately, Aeleus and I have yet to find him." He said to Lea's disappointment. "However, his lordship has some news to convey. Earlier the data from the girl, Naminé, made contact with a small signal."

Everyone's eyes widened at this new information. For the first time, things were beginning to look up,

* * *

Halibel had explained the entire mission in detail. From the part where they found the rogue Arrancars, only for them to be killed by a Vasto Lorde. Apacci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun fighting him until they were overpowered, to the part where Sora stepped in and defeated the Vasto Lorde with relative ease. Though she left out the part where she and Sora exchanged stories. They certainly didn't need to know that.

Of course, the atmosphere in the roomed was mixed with surprise, amazement, and disbelief. They knew Sora was strong but they didn't think he'd be able to defeat a Hollow of the most powerful level.

As surprised as he was, Aizen looked at Halibel with a calm, cool demeanor, "Well, that certainly was unprecedented."

"Please forgive me Lord Aizen." Halibel said, "I know how much you've been searching for the Vasto Lordes."

Aizen raised his hand, showing he didn't mind. "It's alright Halibel. If that Vasto Lorde was as unruly as you said then perhaps it was for the best."

"But were you serious that Sora took down a Vasto Lorde?" Lilynette said, still in amazement.

"Always full of surprises, that kid." Starrk muttered, though was also impressed.

Gin thought the whole story was a riot. "My, my, my, Sora-boy just gets more interesting by the second."

Baraggan just scoffed, uninterested. "So what, it was nothing impressive."

"If that Vasto Lorde was weak enough to lose to a human then what good was he." Nnoitra said.

"That being said." Grimmjow interjected, "Shawlong has a point about that kid being a potential threat. Maybe I should go after him."

"Now stop right there!" Nnoitra said, glaring daggers at Grimmjow, "You're always going off about having rights to your own prey. Well, Sora's my prey, so you better find yourself a new one."

Grimmjow just glared back, "And what makes you think I'll take orders from you."

"That's enough." Now it was Starrk's turn to step in. "I already warned Nnoitra once that he'd have to go through me to get to Sora. Don't make me say it again."

No one was expecting the First Espada to step in. First Halibel, her Fracciónes, now Starrk and Lilynette.

"Boy, Sora has a way of making friends." Gin voiced everyone's thoughts.

"So, you actually _do_ care about that human." Nnoitra said, sneering at the group. "You guys sure have become gutless."

"Well, at least he's a lot better than you losers." Lilynette said. Nnoitra scowled at her. Before anyone could say anything else, Ulquiorra decided to return to the topic at hand.

"Enough." He said before looking over at Grimmjow. "Grimmjow, about what you said of Ichigo Kurosaki, I don't think you understand. That boy is no danger to us…yet."

"Huh," Grimmjow looked confused, before remembering their original debate.

"Lord Aizen isn't worried about what his current abilities are." Ulquiorra continued to explain. "It is his growth rate that is the problem. As we learned, the boy has tremendous potential, almost as much as Sora. Right now, his powers are extremely unstable but I sense that if he doesn't self-destruct then he might prove useful to us in the future. That's why I let him live."

"And if not him then Sora, perhaps. Like Ichigo Kurosaki, his powers are also unstable, but that is due to his memory loss. However, that just means his power will continue to grow until he reaches his peak. And as I said before, his dedication to protecting his allies will mean that he will become one of us."

Grimmjow listened, but still wasn't convinced. "I still maintain that you're soft. How can you be sure that Soul Reaper won't become stronger than you predict? And how do you know Sora won't turn against us? What about your plan _THEN!?_ "

"If either of those events should occur, I'll get rid of them that's all." The Fourth Espada said as blunt as ever. "You can't complain about that can you."

Grimmjow readied another insult before Aizen spoke up. "Yes well, then I'll leave Ichigo Kurosaki in your hands. As for Sora, you don't need to worry."

Everyone looked at Aizen as he continued. "I have a plan that will guarantee his allegiance to us." He looked over at the Eighth Espada through his peripherals. "I will make sure of that. So, for now do whatever you deem best, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra and everyone was curious to know what Aizen had in mind to make sure Sora stayed on their side. But for now, he decided to turn and bow at Aizen. "Thank you very much, sir."

"One more thing," Aizen to everyone before they left. "I believe it would be better if we kept this a secret from Sora. We wouldn't want him to be suspicious now, would we?"

Everyone that was gathered nodded with consent, not wanting their guest to develop hostile opinions about them. Though others like Baraggan, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow were reluctant.

Everyone started leaving, except for Grimmjow, who scowled angrily, his body quivering in fury from being shot down like that. The rest of his Fracciónes looked at him. They could tell he was coming up with a plan to get back at Ulquiorra.

* * *

"Hey Halibel!"

Halibel and her Fracciónes turned to see Lilynette running up to them, with Starrk not to far behind.

"That's _Master_ Halibel, Lilynette." Apacci said. "Say her name with respect."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Lilynette waved of, earning a scowl from two of the three Fracciónes. "Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for Sora back there."

The girls blinked in surprise hearing that, until remembering that little debate back in the throne room. If they were honest, they said most of those things without even thinking about it. Of course, they didn't really regret it, especially Halibel. "It's alright. As I said before, Sora is a valued ally to us. One I am fortunate to have met."

"Plus, I only did it cause I wanted those guys to shut up." Apacci said rubbing the back of her head, trying to look tough.

"Oh, like you weren't going out on a whim saying he was cool." Mila Rose teased. Normally, Apacci would have denied and insulted her comrade. But instead, she just scoffed and looked away, as if Mila Rose was right.

"Yeah, well it's still good to know not everyone here hates his guts." Starrk said.

"Well aside from Nnoitra and Baraggan, let's just hope that Grimmjow doesn't go after him." Sung-Sun said while looking at Lilynette. "Especially after what you just said."

Lilynette just laughed sheepishly, before Starrk bought up another matter. "Speaking of Sora, where is he?"

"After we returned, we received orders to report to the throne room." Halibel explained. "Sora decided to venture elsewhere until we returned."

"Figures." Starrk sighed, recalling their orders to keep him in the dark. "Well, we better get him back. The longer he's out there, the better chance he has of getting attacked."

"I'll go with you," Lilynette volunteered.

"If it's allies that Sora needs, then allow my Fracciónes and I to be of assistance." Halibel said.

"We do owe Sora so much. It is the least we can do." Sung-Sun explained.

Starrk and Lilynette were surprised by their assistance, but didn't complain.

"Alright then, where was the last place you saw him?" Starrk asked.

"Just by the entrance. Follow me." Halibel began leading them to the entrance.

* * *

The three chased Sora around for half an hour. After which Sora became fed up and told the three to stop chasing him. After cooling down, everyone sat by the cliff side and began having a discussion. Bawabawa however, was taking a nap.

"So, you're not going to hurt us?" Nel asked.

"No." Sora sighed. "Maybe next time you should hear what I have to say before attacking." Though since he did the same thing earlier, this makes them even.

"Sorry about that. But it's all good now." Pesche replied cheerfully.

"Yeah, we got ta make a new friend today, know what I'm sayin'." Dondochakka cheered. Nel, climbed on top Sora's shoulder's, causing him to laugh a bit. "By the way, you never told us your name?" She said with curious eyes.

Sora smiled before replying, "My name is Sora."

Nel smiled back, "Nice ta meet'cha Zola." She said cheerfully. Sora did a face fault before recovering. She was just a child so he'll give her a few years before she could say his name correctly.

"So, Sora." Pesche said. "How did a human wind up in Hueco Mundo anyway?"

Sora grinned sheepishly. "To be honest, I don't know." he admitted. "I woke up without any of my memories."

"You don't remember?" Nel said in surprise.

Sora nodded. "My memories have been coming back slowly but nothing's happened yet. I met Aizen and he said that he was gonna help me if I helped him out."

"Lord Aizen said that!?" The three cried.

"Uh, yeah." Sora answered, not sure why they were overreacting.

"That means…do you live in Las Noches?" Pesche asked fearfully.

"For now." Sora said. He soon noticed Pesche and Dondochakka's fearful expressions. Nel was also confused by that. "What's wrong?"

The two Arrancars looked at each other before Pesche said. "It's nothing, don't worry about it." Sora felt there was more to it but if was a personal issue then who was he to meddle. Before, Sora could say anything, Bawabawa began roaring violently.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sora asked.

"Bawabawa, what's happenin'?" Dondochakka said to him.

"I think Bawabawa smells trouble." Pesche suggested.

Sora noticed the direction Bawabawa was staring at and looked around to see what was going on. Straight ahead, Sora sensed two Hollows from that direction. Wasting no time, Sora ran towards the source, much to the three's shock.

"Zola, wait!" Nel cried out, running after him.

"Nel wait up!" Pesche cried as he, Dondochakka, and Bawabawa ran after her.

Sora continued running until he saw a cave straight ahead. He noticed two figures from the distance but when he got there, he saw a shocking sight. There were two Hollows; the first Hollow looked like a dinosaur, with dark-teal skin, three toes on each foot, long muscular arms, and a tail with a club sticking at the end. His hole was located at the belly and its mask coved the top of its face.

The second Hollow resembled a serpent, with red skin and a blade at the end of the tail. The Hollow hole was at the chest and its mask covered his whole face, with black dreadlocks coming out the end. Sora wondered why that Hollow looked familiar, but then he realized that this was the same serpent Hollow that gave him a ride to Las Noches. It looked like they were having a fight. However, this fight looked more one-sided, as the serpent was all battered up.

The dinosaur Hollow picked the serpent up with its mouth and threw him at the rocky wall, causing Sora to flinch at the sight.

" **HAHAHAHAHA!"** the dinosaur laughed, **"Looks like I win this fight! Now it's time for my meal!"**

Sora was shocked by what he said until he remembered what Halibel told him. That Hollows would resort to eating each other and it looked like he was having a front row seat to that event. He looked over at the serpent and, while he could make out a facial expression, he could tell by his eyes that he was afraid and didn't want to die.

The dinosaur opened its mouth to tear the serpent apart. But didn't get a chance as Sora stepped out from where he was hiding. "Hey, lay off him!"

The dinosaur turned to see a Human standing before him. The serpent looked and was shocked to see the same Human he met a week ago.

" **Well, well, well, look what we have here."** The dinosaur Hollow said, snickering. **"It's been ages since I've had the taste of a Human."**

"Zola!" Sora turned and saw Nel and the others running towards him. "Zola! What's…AHHHHH!"

"Whoa!" Pesche screamed in terror at the Hollow, "That's a big Hollow."

" **Ah!"** the Hollow said, noticing the four. **"So much prey standing before me. This must be my lucky day."**

 **"H-Hey, K-kid…"** the serpent said weakly. **"Get o-out of here-e now…"**

"Just stay there!" Sora said before looking at the dinosaur with narrowed eyes. "I don't want to fight you. Let him go, now!"

The certainly surprised everyone. This Human came to save the Hollow.

The dinosaur recovered and laughed again. **"This is a sight. A Human trying to save a Hollow. Sorry, but I'm planning on eating him. Unless you want to be first."** Then, the dinosaur began charging a red Cero, planning to blast it at Sora.

"No, Stop!" Nel cried as she ran after Sora. "Leave Zola alone!" However, Nel's plead fell to death's ears as the dinosaur Hollow turned his head and fired the Cero straight at Nel, much to Sora's horror.

"Nel, No!" Pesche and Dondochakka both screamed in horror. Bawabawa began bellowing for Nel. Nel stood frozen in fear, unable to avoid the Cero blast. Before the dinosaur's Cero could hit her, it was immediately repelled. Before he could react, his body was sent flying, much to everyone's surprise.

Once the dust cleared, everyone was shock (minus the serpent) to see that Sora had been the one to save Nel. He had her under one arm, and held his Keyblade out with another one.

"EEEHHHHHH!?" Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka all cried out when they saw Sora's Keyblade.

" **You…how dare you!?** " The dinosaur creature yelled.

"Didn't anyone teach you it's not polite to pick on little girls." Sora said. Raising his Keyblade directly at the Hollow, Sora preformed Strike Raid, causing his Keyblade to smash right into the dinosaur's face. The blow sent the Hollow toppling backwards as he howled in pain. Taking advantage, Sora moved to where Pecshe and Dondochakka were at and he gently put Nel down beside them.

"Are you alright, Nel?" Sora asked. She was a little shaken, but then she noticed something.

"You…saved Nel?" She asked him, unable to believe such a thing.

"Of course." Sora said to her, giving his signature smile. "I'm not gonna let that guy hurt you." Then, he looked over at the serpent hollow. "And you too."

Nel's and the serpent's eyes widened as they looked at Sora. He then looked over at Pesche, Dondochakka, and Bawabawa.

"I want you two to take Nel and hide. Bawabawa, see if you could get that injured Hollow to safety." Bawabawa complied and rushed over to the injured Hollow. Pesche looked over at Sora, "Wait, what about you?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll take care of this guy." Sora said to him. He raised his Keyblaed as the dinosaur Hollow started to regain his balance.

" **I don't know what kind of weapon you have!"** The Hollow said. **"But no one cuts my face and gets away with it!"**

"Enough talk." Sora said, charging forward.

" **Don't underestimate me!"** The dinosaur said. The Hollow then launched Cero after Cero but Sora was fast enough to dodge every one of them. When he was close enough, he swung his tail like a club, but Sora blocked it with his Keyblade. Then, he proceeded to slice the tail off, causing the dinosaur to roar in pain.

Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka, were left speechless. They were currently seeing Sora make mincemeat out of that Hollow and couldn't believe that a Human was beating one. Bawabawa soon came back with the serpent Hollow on his back. Instantly, they ran over to him, who was starting to regain consciousness.

"Hey!" Dondochakka cried. "Are you alright?"

 **"Shut up I'm fine."** the Serpent said, **"I didn't think I'd see that Human again."**

"Oh, so you know Sora?" Pesche asked.

 **"Sora?"** The Serpent said before realizing, **"So, that's his name. Yeah, I know him. Helped him get to Las Noches. But I didn't think he'd come back. And why did he save me?"**

"Save you." Nel reapeted before she returned to staring at the battle. She then remembered. "That's right, he saved Nel too. Why would he save Nel and the Hollow?"

"I don't know." Pesche admitted. "I never thought…a human could care for our kind."

Suddenly, they were interrupted when the giant Dinosaur Hollow crashed into the ground. This time he was missing an arm. Then, Sora shot out three rounds of ice, freezing that Hollow feet, preventing him from moving. It appeared that Sora was winning this fight.

Sora placed his Keyblade behind his should before looking down at the Hollow. "Now, stay there. You lost this fight."

The dinosaur Hollow was angry beyond belief. **"How dare you!?"** The Hollow roared. **"I'll crush you."** The dinosaur broke free from the ice and lunged forward. However, before he or the spectators could react, Sora had mysteriously gotten behind the dinosaur with amazing speed. Sora had his eyes closed but when he opened them, "It's over." The Dinosaur was suddenly bisected in half. Both sides of the Hollow fell to the ground with a loud thud, nearly knocking the others off their feet. The remains quickly disintegrated.

Sora looked back at the remains for one minute before sighing, "Well that takes care of him." He then turned back to Nel and the others. "Hey guys, are you okay?"

"Zola!" He was unprepared when Nel suddenly tackled him a few feet off the ground while cheering. Sora groaned in pain as he sat up, seeing Nel grabbing his midsection. "Nel, you shouldn't do that. You could hurt someone."

Nel looked up still cheerfully. "Sorry. Nel's just happy Zola's okay and wasn't hurt by that mean Hollow."

"I'm alright. I'm just glad you two weren't…" Sora trailed off when he noticed the Serpent Hollow was gone. He must've snucked away while the others were focusing on the fight.

"Hey Sora, that was incredible!" Pesche shouted.

"I had no idea you could do that, know what I mean?" Dondochakka told him.

Sora grinned as he got back up, placing Nel on the ground.

"By the way Sora, what is that sword you have?" Pesche asked.

"Oh this." Sora materialized the Keyblade in his hand. The three were amazed, seeing it so up close. "It's called the Keyblade."

"Whoa, I've never a sword like that before." Dondochakka commented.

Sora chuckled. "I don't blame you guys. You see, I am a Human but a special one. I'm a Keyblade wielder."

"A Keyblade wielder. What are those?" Pesche asked confused.

"Let's just say Keyblade wielders are ancient legendary warriors who are capable of traveling to other worlds." Sora said summarizing this. "That's all I can say since I still don't remember much about myself."

"It's okay." Nel said, smiling "To be fair, Nel doesn't remember anything either."

This was surprising to hear for Sora. "Wait, you don't remember anything."

"Nope." Nel said carefree. "Nel woke up one day in the desert. Nel's head was hurting so bad and Nel couldn't remember a thing."

Sora was certainly shocked to hear that. He then looked over to Pesche and Dondochakka. While their masked didn't show much facial expressions, it was clear by their body language that they looked uncomfortable. It was like they were remembering something terrible.

"Then Nel met Pesche and Dondochakka." Nel said, causing them to snap out of their thought. They decided to take over from there.

"Yep that's right." Dondochakka said. "Nel was just so cute that I decided to become her big brother, know what I'm takin' about."

"That's right," Pesche said.

"Oh, I get it. You guys adopted her." Sora said, now understanding how Arrancars had siblings. He then thought of something else. "Hey, haven't you guys thought about going to Las Noches. I'm sure you'll be safe from the Hollows there."

Nel, Pesche and Dondochakka shook their heads rapidly.

"No way!" Pesche said. "Las Noches isn't a safe place for Nel."

"He's right!" Dondochakka agreed. "It's better for us to stay out here. We can't afford to risk Nel's safety."

"Besides, Nel hears that the Espadas are really scary." Nel said fearfully.

Sora could understand that. Especially after seeing some of the Arrancars they have there. While Las Noches was a bit safer than this place, if it was their decision then he shouldn't force them to comply. Speaking of which, Sora remembered that he should be heading back to Las Noches by now.

"I just remembered, I've got to get going." He said as he started walking off. "I was great meeting you guys. Take care."

Before he could move on, he saw Nel running after him. "Wait, please don't go." She said with a pleading face. Sora knelt to look at Nel better.

"Nel had fun with Zola." Nel said, as she started to smile a bit. "Nel was hoping Zola would play with us."

"She's right." Pesche said. "Maybe you could play eternal tag with us."

"Just the five of us." Dondochakka agreed. Even Bawabawa let out a cry of happiness.

Sora smiled at them. They were odd but they were sure the friendliest group of Arrancars he's ever seen, especially Nel.

"How about I come back in a few days and we can all play together." Sora said.

Nel's face brightened up. "Yay! Thank you so much Zola!" she cried as she leaped up and grabbed Sora around his neck, putting him in a choking hug that certainly had Sora gasping for air.

"Nel!" Dondochakka cried. "Sora's not able to breathe."

"Look!" Pesche shouted. "He's turning blue."

Nel stopped and looked at Sora. Sure enough, his face was turning blue due to Nel's unintentional neck breaking hug. Nel stared at him for a moment, then she grabbed his neck again in fear.

"No, Sora! Don't die!" She cried, not realizing she was making it worse.

Fortunately, Pesche and Dondochakka managed to get Nel off Sora, who was taking as much air as he needed.

"Nel's sorry." Nel said, apologetically.

"It's okay, Nel." Sora said gently, as he got back to his feet once his breathing became normal. "Besides, I've been through worse. Anyways, I better get going now. But I promise I'll come back real soon."

"Promise?" Nel asked cutely, making Sora smile.

"I Promise." He said, "Besides, you guys couldn't get rid of me even if you tried." All of them laughed at that remark. After a few minutes past, Sora saw Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka riding off on Bawabawa. All three of them were waving good-bye to Sora as he did the same. After they were out of sight, Sora turned around and then made his way towards Las Noches.

As he walked, he couldn't help but recall some of the things he learned about them. _"Still, it's hard to believe Nel can't remember anything like me. Did she lose her memories at some point? And what was wrong with Pesche and Dondochakka? It's almost like they didn't want Nel to go to Las Noches but for another reason. Something must've happened to them."_ Then another thing came to mind. _"Then again, why does this feel familiar?"_

Suddenly, another headache came to Sora. This one was just as intense as the other ones. Sora grabbed his head as he fell on his knees, unable to see or think clearly.

* * *

Inside Ansem's studies, Riku, Terra, and Aqua stood in front of Ansem's desk, where he sat down as his apprentices, minus Vexen, stood by his side. The others decided to explore the town while Riku, Terra, and Aqua spoke with Ansem and learn what he had discovered.

"You were able to find a signal." Riku asked.

Ansem expression remained neutral. "I was able to...for the faintest moment."

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked.

 _(Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack-Scent of Silence)_

The Sage-King sighed before explaining. "As I was encrypting the data, for a brief period, the data that was transferred to the replica reacted to something. Upon further observation, we managed to discover a signal."

"Unfortunately, the signal vanished as mysteriously as it came." Dilan revealed.

"Were you able to trace it before it vanished?" Terra asked.

"I attempted so, however the signal gave no precise location." Ansem said. "It was very faint, yet I could feel the distress in it's presence."

"We believe the signal may have originated from Naminé." Said a large muscular man with blue eyes, small eyebrows, and messy auburn hair that stuck out in the back. He had very angular and strong features, with a square chin straight nose, and sharp cheekbones. He his uniform was the same as Dilan's. His name is Aeleus, another apprentice and guard of the castle.

Hearing the name caused the three Keyblade Wielders to gain hopeful expressions. "Then that means we must be closer to finding where her heart is?" Riku said.

Aqua nodded. "And if she's still inside Kairi's heart, then we'll be able to find her as well."

"And it might lead us to Sora." Terra pointed out.

"Don't jump to conclusions just yet." Ienzo advised. "As Master Ansem stated, the signal was very faint and it gave us no exact coordinates for us to follow."

"But there is a chance it will appear again." Riku said, turning serious. "If Naminé did send it, then she and Kairi might be trying to call to us."

Terra stepped forward and asked Ansem. "How is the restoration process? The amount of data inside the replica may be what we need for a stronger signal."

Ansem nodded in agreement before saying. "As it stands, we are at 50% of completion. It will take time to decipher the data, however I am confident that with it, we can succeed in restoring Naminé."

"I'll also do what I can to decipher it." Ienzo stepped up. "As you said Terra, we might just be able to get a stronger signal if we finish transferring the data. And when we do, we'll send it over to her location like we did with Roxas."

"And Vexen?" Terra asked, having noticed his absence.

"He had some business to tend to. So, he went off into town." Dilan replied. While curious at what his colleague had to do, he assumed that he was searching for Isa.

"When Even gets back, the three of us should be able to advance the transfer process." Ienzo said.

"Then we'll let you get to it." Riku said. "Right now, we should focus on finding Sora."

"Do you have any leads?" Aeleus asked.

"No, but we'll try to follow his heart like they did with mine." Aqua said.

Ansem closed his eyes and hummed for a moment, which Ienzo noticed. "Is there something on your mind?

The Sage-King opened his eyes and said, "I have heard of your difficulty in locating Sora and a thought came to mind."

"What is it." Riku asked, everyone drawing their attention at him.

"Perhaps instead of asking yourselves where Sora has gone, you should instead put more focus on the question 'what kind of world he might have been sent to?' The same can be said for Kairi."

"What do you mean?" Terra inquired, not sure of what Ansem was thinking. Aqua however, had a guess.

"Well, I think he means that we've been searching every world that we know for Sora, right?" The blue-haired girl said. Riku and Terra nodded their heads as she continued. "And we haven't been able to find him. So, don't you believe that he and Kairi may be in a world that we don't know about."

This certainly caught everyone by surprise. "A world…that we don't know about." The silver-haird boy parroted.

"That is correct." Ansem said before getting to the point. "This leads me to believe…that this world Sora may be at, is a world not accessed in the Ocean Between Worlds. A world that is unreachable through natural means. Perhaps…one outside the very universe we know."

Everybody thought about the Sage-King's words for a while. Sure enough, his explanation was plausible. After all, if Yen Sid wasn't able to detect Sora in any world's they know, then…well that was only a theory.

"Well…it does sound possible. But we won't know for sure, unless we continue searching out there for answers." Riku said.

"All of us will continue to search of Sora." The female master said. "Maybe we can find a world closest to what you said."

"In the meantime, we will search for him here." Dilan said.

"We've sent word to the Restoration Committee." Aeleus revealed. "They've agreed to be on the look out for him, as well as Isa and Braig."

Terra and Aqua's eyes narrowed at the name. "Braig." Terra said in disgust.

"Lord Ansem, you should be careful with Braig." Aqua warned. "He's been conspiring with Xehanort long before he became a Nobody. He helped Xehanort get Terra to embrace the darkness so he could take control of him and use him as his vessel."

Terra looked down in shame at remembering how he had been manipulated by Xehanort to turning to darkness, which led to so many suffering. Aqua noticed his expression and placed her arm on his shoulder, looking at him in a comforting manner.

Ansem's expression remained neutral before saying. "For as long as I have known him, Braig has been an enigma to me. Even now, I cannot tell what his intentions are."

"He's always been like that." Riku said before remembering Xigbar's final moments. "He said he joined Xehanort to get his Keyblade."

"But with Xehanort gone, there is no way for him to get it now." Terra said.

"In any case, we'll let you know if anything turns up." Ienzo said. With that, the three Keyblade Wielders left the room, preparing to resume their quest to find Sora. All while wondering what type of world he ended up in and what he's been enduring.

* * *

Back in Las Noches, Starrk, Halibel and the others arrived at the entrance. When they got there, they could see that Sora was nowhere in sight.

"Well, he's gone." Lilynette said looking around.

"Of course, he'd be gone." Apacci said. "It's not like he was gonna just stay here and do nothing."

"Do you suppose he went back to your quarters?" Sung-Sun asked Starrk.

"He might have." Starrk said unsure. "But to be safe, let's try to sense his spirit energy."

"Do not bother." Halibel said. When everyone looked at her confused, she motioned her head to the other direction. They looked and saw Sora walking up to them.

"Hey, Sora!" Sora looked and saw Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun walking over to him.

"Hey, guys!" He waved over.

"About time you showed up." Apacci said with her arms crossed, smirking.

"Sorry. You guys weren't waiting long, were you?" Sora asked.

"Nah, we just got here." Lilynette responded. "By the way, where were you?"

"Around." Sora shrugged. He decided not to tell them about Nel and the others. At least, not yet. He was about to tell them what did happen to him. But before he could say more, his stomach began growling.

"Seems like someone is hungry." Sung-Sun said with a teasing smile underneath.

"Guess I am." Sora said embarrassed. Then, something came to mind. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've eaten at all since coming here."

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Mila Rose asked, dryly.

"Yeah, I guess I was more focused on trying to survive." Sora said, rubbing his head.

"You're hopeless." Lilynette sighed.

"Well, I did hear that most Humans could go three weeks without eating." Starrk said in Sora's defense.

"Still, I growing boy needs to eat." Halibel said with a matter-o-fact tone.

"Then, what do you guys have to eat around here?" Sora asked. Come to think of it, do Arrancars even eat?

"Lord Aizen made sure to gather supplies such as food that he took from the Soul Society while he was constructing Las Noches." Halibel said while also adding, "Also, Arrancars are capable of eating. However, our bodies are different from humans, so we are capable of lasting months without food and water."

"Well that's great." Sora said. "So, where do we eat?"

"We usually have the servants bring food to our rooms." Starrk said.

"If you want, I can invite you to eat with us." Halibel offered to the three, much to their surprise, as well as her Fracciónes. They certainly weren't expecting Halibel to invite them over.

Nonetheless, Sora didn't complain. "Alright, we accept."

"Very well, I'll have the food delivered to our chamber." Halibel said.

"I'll go help her." Starrk said, to which she accepted.

Halibel looked over at her Fracciónes. "Well you three show them to our quarters."

"Yes, Master Halibel." Mila Rose complied. "Come on." She said to the others.

Sora and Lilynette followed the three while Starrk and Halibel left to bring back some food.

* * *

After a few minutes, Sora and the others arrived at Halibel's palace. Upon entering, Sora was amazed at how it was. While it didn't have much like Starrk's quarter's, what amazed him was the balcony. He rushed over to get a view of the landscape.

"Whoa!" He said leaning to the edge. "You guys can see everything from up here."

"Hey, careful." Mila Rose said, pulling Sora by his collar. "You trying to fall off?"

Sora chuckled. "Sorry."

Sung-Sun chuckled. He certainly was more childish compared to the times she saw him fight.

"So," Sora looked around, not seeing much. "What do you guys do for fun?"

Apacci scoffed. " _Fun_? We don't have time for that when we're about to go to war with the Soul Soicety."

"C'mon Apacci, lighten up." Lilynette said, defensively. "It wouldn't hurt for you three to do something other than make fun of each other."

Before she could say anything, the door opened. Halibel entered, with Starrk pushing a serving cart, containing domed plates, cups, and a pitcher of water. Starrk poured the water, while Halibel lifted the domes, revealing an assortment of meat, vegetables, rice, and beard.

"Well, here you go." Starrk said as he passed the cups.

"I hope what we have is to your liking?" Halibel asked.

"It's fine." Sora said appreciatively, "Besides, after not eating anything in a week, I'll eat anything." Once everyone had food and water, they sat back down and began eating. Not even one minute passed and Sora was already scoffing down the food. Everyone looked at him with unusual expressions after Sora pleased down his empty plate.

He let out a burp/sigh "More please."

That certainly earned a laugh from Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. Halibel let out a shameful sigh while Starrk rubbed his head, dryly.

"Geez kid, didn't you even bother tasting the food before swallowing?" Starrk said.

Sora laughed at that, "Guess I was hungrier than I thought."

"Perhaps you haven't learned enough manners." Halibel said with a scolding tone.

"Hey, Sora." Lilynette called, "It's been awhile since anything happened. Did any of your memories come back?"

Everyone looked at Sora, who had finished serving himself, and he decided to reply. "Yeah, they did."

This caught them by surprise.

"Really, when was that?" Starrk asked.

"It happened while I was walking around." Sora explained. "I was gonna tell you but then I got hungry." Then an idea came to mind. "Hey, since we're all here, how about I tell you guys."

"You don't mind?" Halibel asked.

"Nah, it's all right. Besides, it wouldn't be dinner without a story." No one argued, as they leaned closer, Sora cleared his throat and began.

Sora first began by saying that this was not the first time he lost his memories, much to everyone's surprised. He explained that this occurred after his first journey. He, Donald, and Goofy had been searching for Riku and King Mickey for some time. However, they lost track of Pluto and decided to rest for the night. But then, Sora came face-to-face with a mysterious man in a black coat who told him:

 _"Along the road ahead lies something you need. However, in order to claim it you must lose something that is dear to you"._

"Lose something…" Apacci repeated. "What the hell does that mean?"

"You'll find out as I go along." Sora explained.

Sora explained that they followed the one path they saw, which lead them to a place called "Castle Oblivion."

"Castle Oblivion." Lilynette repeated, noticing the grimness of the name.

"And you guys followed him there?" Mila Rose asked.

"Hey, we didn't really have any place to go." Sora explained, "Plus, I thought I might find some answers on where to find our friends."

"Did you?" Halibel asked.

Sora grinned and the story went on. When they entered the castle, the mysterious man gave them a card which he said was constructed from Sora's memories.

They first appeared in a memory construct of Traverse Town, the very first world Sora went to. After meeting the constructs of the residents did Sora and friends realize the significance of the cards.

The man appeared once more after they arrived on the next floor. However, another cloaked man appeared and introduced himself as Axel. Sora battled him, and when Axel was defeated, he gave him more cards, disappearing soon after. Nowhere to go, Sora and friends began exploring the worlds within this card and other cards like it.

As they made their way through the castle, their memories started becoming distorted. Then, they realized what that man meant by, 'losing something that is dear to you.' By reaching each floor, it would come at the cost of losing their memories.

"By reaching each floor, you would lose your memories." Sung-Sun said, shocked by this revelation.

"Why the hell would keep going then!?" Lilynette demanded, "If it meant losing your memories then you should have turned back!"

"Sora." Starrk looked, hoping he'd explain.

Sora sighed, "You're right, at first we thought it'd be best to leave, but we still had to find our friends. Plus, we decided that as long as we were together and we remembered those closest to us, then we would still remember them."

"Did you?" Apacci asked.

Sora then began to explain that as they made their way through the castle, he began to remember an old 'friend' named Naminé and fought another member named Larxene, who revealed that she was being held prisoner in the castle. After beating her and gaining new cards, they set off to find Naminé. As Sora went on, Starrk and Halibel couldn't help but contemplate what they heard. Sora just happened to remember someone he didn't even know until now. And that said person was even being held prisoner by these mysterious people. They realized that this seemed more than just a coincidence.

As they continued, Sora saw someone he would have least expected; Riku had arrived at the castle. However, he seemed more hostile and demanded Sora to leave the castle, claiming Naminé was his to protect. Sora refused and had to fight Riku, who appeared in his dark form. Sora won the battle, and Riku vanished.

"Wait, I thought you said he was trapped in the Realm of Darkness along with that King." Mila Rose said, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, I was confused too." Sora said, but he knew the real reason.

"If so, why did he act hostile to you?" Halibel asked.

"Think he lost all his memories to?" Lilynette guessed.

"I don't know. If he did then he wouldn't have remembered Sora." Starrk assumed.

As they continued their journey, Sora remembered a promise he made to Naminé, that he would always protect her no matter what. They met another member named Vexen, whom he believed was responsible for manipulating Riku. He gave them a card that lead them to a world called Twilight Town. Sora had never been to that world, but Vexen said that the world was created from 'the other side of Sora's heart', much to everyone's confusion.

After defeating Vexen, he began to tell him that if he continued going after Naminé, then he will become the pawn of Marluxia, the man in the black coat he first met and a member of the "Organization." Before, Sora could ask what he meant, Vexen was attacked by Axel, who proceeded to murder Vexen.

"He…killed him?" Apacci said in disgust, to which Sora nodded.

"Man, what are those people?" Lilynette asked.

"I asked the same thing," Sora muttered, before continuing. After reaching the next floor, he met Riku who somehow had the same memory he did. Determined for answers, Sora proceeded to next floor, completely deserting Donald and Goofy. Lilynette couldn't help but see the irony in that. When he reached the construct of his home world, the Destiny Islands, he finally found Naminé. However, she told him that she was not the 'special person' he thought she was.

After a fierce battle with Riku, Larxene arrived and revealed that the Riku he had been fighting was actually a replica made by Vexen. That did clarify things for the others, but what shocked them the most was when they heard that the memories he had of Naminé were never real. Larxene revealed that Naminé had the power to manipulate memories and rewrote Sora's memory so the 'Organization' could take control of Sora's Keyblade. Since their plans were ruined, she prepared to kill Sora, who had been weaken from his previous battle. Fortunately, with the arrival of Donald and Goofy, Sora defeated Larxene and Naminé confessed to Sora and friends of what she had done, having been threaten by Marluxia that she will be trapped in the castle forever, alone.

The audience expected Sora to hold a grudge, but surprisingly he did not hold it against her. He said that while he wasn't happy that she messed with his memories, he couldn't bring himself to hate her. Despite being fake, he was determined to fulfill his promise to protect her and keep her happy, never letting her cry. So, he encouraged to be happy, for him.

Sora had to stop after he noticed Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun giving him teasing smiles. Starrk just let out a disappointed sigh with Halibel had her eyes closed, shaking her head.

"What?" Sora said confused.

"Geez, what you said to her was a bit much." Apacci said, grinning.

"Do you even know how girls react to the things you say." Mila Rose added.

"Oh, cut it out." Sora said. "I was just trying to cheer her up."

"More like lead her on." Lilynette said, chuckling.

"And I thought that Kairi friend of yours was enough." Sung-Sun said.

"It wasn't like…"

"You should probably try to avoid talking girls longer than you have to." Starrk advised.

"You will get in trouble if you toy with other girl's affections." Halibel said with a stern voice.

Sora let out a defeated groan. "Let's just get back to the story."

Making their way to the thirteenth floor, Sora encountered Axel again. While they defeated him, he proved more slippery than the others as he seemed to be neither friend nor foe. After all, it was him who let Naminé go, which ended up ruining the Organizations' plans. They were able to reach the castle keeper, Marluxia, and with the help from the Riku Replica, Sora and the others were able to strike Marluxia down for good.

After Marluxia's defeat, Riku Replica wandered off elsewhere. Naminé revealed that she would be able to restore their memories, however the process could take some time. However, she offered him a choice; she could either put his scattered memories back the way they were and lose all memory of this castle, or keep his memories the way they were now. It was a difficult decision, but in the end, Sora chose to get his old memories back. He, Donald, and Goody were led to sleeping pods, where they will have to go into a deep sleep until their memories could be repaired.

Before going to sleep, Sora made one last promise with Naminé; that she would not be forgotten and that they would meet again and be friends for real.

"After that, everything else is a blank." Sora said, finishing his second tale.

"But it's hard to believe you lost so much." Sung-Sun said with sympathy. She couldn't imagine what it would be like losing her memories. And now, Sora is dealing with this twice.

"But still, kinda strange you'd make a promise like that when you're gonna forget it." Apacci said.

Sora shook his head. "If the chain of memories comes apart, then the links can be repaired."

"So, the memory of your promise will be with you somewhere." Starrk said, understanding.

"At least you were able to retrieve your memories." Halibel said, though Sora's story made her curious. If Sora was to forget these memories, then why was he remembering them now? Was he right about the chain of memories being repaired? Did losing his memories again cause these memories to resurface? Well she couldn't dwell on it now, since he couldn't even provide an answer.

Perhaps if his memories continued to return, then it could provide answers, maybe even to how Sora ended up in Hueco Mundo.

After finishing their plates, Starrk looked over to Sora and Lilynette. "Alright you two, time to head back."

"I guess you're right." She admitted.

"Yeah." Sora agreed. "Thanks for the food, Halibel." He said politely.

"Yeah, it was good." Lilynette agreed.

"We appreciate it." Starrk followed.

"You're most welcome." Halibel nodded. As Sora and the others were leaving, she decided to say. "Sora." He turned around to face her, wondering what she had to say. "Try to be careful from now on. There are some Arrancars like Nnoitra who might chose to attack you. I know you can manage but it's best to be on guard."

Sora couldn't help but noticed a worried tone in her voice. He couldn't help but feel grateful that she was concerned for him, it meant that she at least cared about his well-being. Like Nel, perhaps there were some kind Arrancars after all.

"Don't worry." He said with a determined smile. "I'll be fine. After all, you should know I won't go down that easily."

"Hmmm." Halibel said. "I'll keep that in mind. For now, take care of yourself."

With that, the three left.

* * *

"Halibel told us about your fight with the Vasto Lorde." Lilynette said as they were walking back to their chambers.

"Oh, did she." Sora said.

"Have to say, I wasn't expecting you'd be able to take down a Vasto Lorde." Starrk said, still impressed.

"Well, I've faced tougher guys before." Sora said before letting out a yawn.

Lilynette giggled. "Seems like someone's tired."

"Yeah, guess that mission wore me out." Sora said.

"I think we all deserve some sleep for once." Starrk said before remembering something. "By the way, about that little stunt of yours."

The two could see the not so happy look on his face. This clearly meant that they were in trouble.

"RUN!" They both said before fleeing.

"GET BACK HERE!" the First Espada shouted, giving chase.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Well, that's another chapter done. I hope you guys like some of the things I did for this chapter. Aside from the Arrancar meeting and Nel's introduction, the scene in Radiant Garden shows that they are getting closer to finding Sora and Kairi. However, will**_ _ **Naminé's heart be enough to contact them or will she need some help. I'll go more into that when I get to the other chapters. I also decided to include Dilan and Aeleus in this chapter. Honestly, I have no idea why they had NO lines in the game. I know it couldn't be helped fro Phil, but none of their VAs were dead so it doesn't make since to me. Anyways, Hope you liked this.**_

 _ **Next time: Sora begins learning about Bankai with Tōsen, he goes on another mission that turns sour when Nnoitra intervenes, and Aizen is planning something from the sidelines. Anyway, please reviews and don't flame.**_


	8. Bankai Training!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Here's the eighth chapter as promised. Boy, working on this story reminded me how much fun writing stories can be. Anyways, please enjoy and know that I don't own Bleach or Kingdom Hearts, sadly.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 8: "Bankai Training! Sora vs Nnoitra; Round 2!"**_

A day had passed since the dinner/story telling event. Fortunately, by the time they got to their room, Starrk had tried himself out. Normally, Lilynette would've been peeved by this but for now she decided to get some sleep as well. Sora soon followed suit. After all, that had been a busy day he had in a while. Now, right after Sora had woken up, Tōsen came to their chambers and informed Sora that his training will resume today. This time, Tōsen will be teaching him about how the Bankai works. Both arrived at the dome, where the sunny atmosphere never ceased to amaze Sora.

Sora stood off on one side, waiting anxiously as Tōsen drew his Zanpakutō. After all, he did say that this Bankai was considered a Soul Reapers ace in the hole. Which meant that he shouldn't let his guard down for a second.

On the other side, Lilynette was sitting down, having received permission to watch this training session. She was currently looking at the two opponents in anticipation.

"Now that we have covered the basics of Shikai, I believe you are ready to face my Bankai." Tōsen said, having drawn his sword out. "Please note that all Bankai are different in terms of ability and power. Hopefully, after this training, you will gain an understanding of a captain's power."

Sora nodded as he materialized his Keyblade, getting into his fighting stance. He didn't know what Tōsen had planned, so he better be ready for anything.

"Now, let us begin." He held up his sword in his right hand, and places his left palm against the ring on his cross guard. Sora saw that the ring suddenly began spinning rapidly. He noticed that the spinning suddenly became faster and, much to his surprise, the circle started growing bigger and bigger until it was large enough to surround Tōsen's body. "Bankai! _Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi_!" Tōsen declared. Suddenly, with a slash of his sword, the rings scattered. Sora assumed that the rings were coming at him, but instead the rings flew right past him and form a circular perimeter over a large area.

"What the…" Sora said, seeing the rings fly around. "What's going on?!"

Sora found his answer when suddenly a sort of dark void began to form within the rings when they began oozing out strange ink blots. Sora watched in amazement as the darkness from each ring mixed with each other, growing until it formed a large black dome that sealed him inside.

* * *

From an outside view, Lilynette saw the giant dome completed, with the rings forming ropes that anchored the dome to the ground.

So, this is Tōsen's Bankai. It didn't really look all that impressive to Lilynette. Of course, she knew not to judge by appearance, especially since Tōsen was a former Captain of Soul Society, and considered one of their best fighters. What bugged her the most was that, "Now how am I gonna see what's going on!" Lilynette whined in annoyance.

She didn't know what this dome would do, but knew that Sora was going to have to do something pretty clever if he wanted to get himself out of this one. Not that Lilynette was worried. In fact, not a single part of her doubted that Sora was going to lose this spar. Looking at the dome, her gaze intense as she mentally began to cheer Sora on.

" _C'mon Sora, you can do this! I know you can beat Tōsen's butt. Give it your all!_ " She said mentally, confident that he will succeed.

* * *

Once the dome was complete, Sora opened his eyes and, much to his shock, he could not see anything. What he could see was darkness, he had been in a similar situation during his battle with Riku, but at least he could see slightly. However, this time he couldn't see at all. He wasn't even sure if his eyes were open or closed anymore.

Sora opened his mouth, about to ask what was going on, when he suddenly froze. Though his lips were moving, no words were coming out. " _What's going on?_ " He thought. " _Why can't I say anything?_ " Not only that but Sora realized something else. " _I can't…say anything. I can't even…hear anything._ " Not only that but, out of curiosity, he sniffed around the area and found out that he couldn't smell anything either. It was like all his senses have been shut off.

Before he could think of anything in this new development, he felt a slash that went across his stomach. If he could scream then he would be doing that due to the pain. Sora staggered back, realizing that Tōsen had attacked him and with this darkness, he wasn't prepared to counter it. At least back then, he could see Riku's attacks in the darkness.

Then, the Keyblade's chosen wielder figured out the power of Tōsen's Bankai. It was this dome. The dome cut off his senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting. Yet, he was still able to feel, as he still felt pain when he received that cut. So, this dome's main ability was to disable four of the five main senses of the opponent. Just then, his back from the right shoulder have been slashed, much more intense than the previous one. Sora fell to the ground holding his shoulder in pain. Tōsen's Bankai was surly powerful with an ability like this. And to think that there are twelve more captains with powers of similar magnitude.

Sora knew that he had to come up with a better strategy and fast. Even though Tōsen wasn't aiming to kill him, he knew wouldn't last long in this fight if he just stood there and kept on taking Tōsen's attacks. Perhaps magic could work. Sora began to shoot out several fire, ice, and lightning spells, hoping that one of them would hit Tōsen. Of course, this dome prevented him from seeing so he wasn't sure if this was really working. The Keyblade wielder found his answer when he felt himself get another cut to the side of his waist. Sora staggered a bit before regaining his balance. He still couldn't see but he knew that plan failed.

He decided to cast an Aero spell. And with good timing as Tōsen swung with the back of his sword. The attack sent Sora flying a few feet away. At least, the wind barrier nullified the force of the attack by half, but that didn't mean it still didn't hurt.

Sora did recap on what he learned. Tōsen's Bankai had the ability to shut off four of his senses. However, since this dome was created by Tōsen, then it stands to reason that he is not affected by this. Though he could never really see anything to begin with. But this was bad for Sora since he couldn't do anything either. He had a feeling that this dome would disappear if he beat Tōsen. But how was he supposed to beat someone he could only feel? Sora froze as an idea came to him. Yeah, that just might work.

* * *

Tōsen had said nothing throughout this entire session. Of course, not that he needed since he knew anything he said would fall on death's ear to Sora. Yet, throughout this battle, he clearly had the upper hand. He sensed several projectiles aiming towards him and dodged them effortlessly. He recalled a similar sensation during his first training with Sora. Of course, unlike last time, Sora was just aimlessly shooting magic spells, hoping to hit something. After a while, Sora had just stopped moving and was standing still, his eyes fixated.

Tōsen couldn't see his expression, but he could certainly tell that by his lack of movement that he was planning something. He wondered if Sora's adaptability would help him overcome this kind of obstacle. Tōsen charged forward and swung his sword again. This time, he made slight contact with Sora's shoulder, but before he could go further, he froze when he felt Sora swing his Keyblade upward. Tōsen barely dodged it in time.

He swung his Zanpakutō to strike Sora again, only for him to dodge, with him receiving a slight injury. But then Sora retaliated by aiming a fire spell that grazed his arm, causing him to wince.

Afterwards, Tōsen moved to bring down his sword to slash Sora's midsection. However, Sora used his foot to kick the sword away from him, much to Tōsen's shock. Then, he charged forward and delivered a forward thrust. Tōsen dodged it by bending his back, then proceeding to do several flips to get a distance from him and Sora. As Tōsen grabbed his sword, he still couldn't help but be surprised. He dodged his attacks at the last second and proceeds to do a counterattack. Not only that but that last one was accurate. How could he be doing that, unless…

Meanwhile, Sora was standing by, _"Good, I almost had him that time. If I can't see his moments and attacks then I'll just have to make do with the sense I still have. Luckily, I can still use my Keyblade and spells. The moment I feel Tōsen's blade making contact with me, then I'll dodge to avoid any serious injury. Then, that will give me a small opening to attack him."_

But still, even if that strategy worked he felt that it still wouldn't be enough. While, he got him with that last attack, he knew that he wouldn't be able to get him with reflexes alone. He was only able to dodge because he was letting him attack him, but Tōsen was smart enough to realize that. Sora had to end this fight quickly, but how? Sora pondered for a bit but then he realized something. The only time he had caught a glimpse of Tōsen was when he kicked his sword away. It wasn't a clear view but it was enough to attack. That's when an idea came to mind, " _Yeah, that just might work._ " He thought, grinning.

Tōsen moved to attack, swinging his sword to strike Sora's left arm. However, Sora did the strangest thing he had ever done. The moment Tōsen blade came in contact, rather than dodge it, Sora grabbed the front of the blade with his bare hand. While it caused his hand to bleed a bit, his gambled paid off because by grabbing his sword, Sora regained all his senses and could see Tōsen clearly.

"It worked. I finally got you!" The Spiky-Haired boy said through a smug grin, relieved his plan was a success.

"You never cease to surprise me, Sora." Tōsen said, Sora's hand still gripping his blade. "You must have realized by now that my Bankai, creates a vacuum that nullifies all of my opponent's senses except for touch, and that the only way to escape it was to touch the hilt of my Zanpakutō."

"Yeah, that Bankai of yours certainly is powerful," Sora said respectfully. "Luckily, I was able to predict your attacks after I dodged them. Otherwise, I might have lost this battle."

"I'll take that as a sign of compliment from you." Tōsen told him.

"Do we continue fighting?" Sora asked.

Tōsen shook his head. "No, this exercise was to help you to adapt to a Soul Reaper's Bankai. Now that you have accomplished that, this lesson is over." Tōsen said as he dispelled his dome.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lilynette had just been sitting around making doodles in the sand. They've been in there for ten minutes now. If she knew that she wasn't going to be able to see this fight then she might as well have stayed with Starrk. While waiting, she couldn't help but wonder how the fight was turning out. Hopefully, Sora could find a way to win.

Her question would be answered when suddenly, the dome began to deflate. She got up and ran over to see Tōsen and Sora standing in the center. She was shocked to see so many cuts on Sora's body.

"Sora, what happened to you!?" Lilynette cried. She then shot Tōsen a venomous look. "You big jerk, did you really have to rough him up that badly!?"

"It's alright Lilynette." Sora said, calming her down. "These were actually my fault. I needed Tōsen to attack me so that I could tell where he was and attack him."

"Really?" She asked confused.

"Yeah, besides these cuts don't hurt a lot." Sora said, chuckling.

"And you could say Sora did emerge victorious." Tōsen added. "He succeeded in discovering my Bankai's weakness. Though I am impressed that you managed to use your sense of touch to your own advantage."

Sora grinned as he placed his hands behind his head. "Well, I learned once that I didn't have to see to attack."

Tōsen nodded. "A wise lesson. Not just anyone could escape my Bankai."

"Has anyone ever gotten through?" Sora asked.

"Only one person has." Tōsen replied, but he said that with a distasteful tone. Which made him remember his earlier defeat against a certain fighting-loving captain. Something he didn't want to relive _ever_ again.

"What's wrong." Sora asked, noticing his expression.

Tōsen shook off his thoughts and replied. "It's nothing. Anyways, this concludes your training for today. Now that we have covered the Soul Reapers Zanpakutō, we will move on to Hakuda next time."

Sora recalled Aizen suggesting he learn some hand-to-hand combat. While, he still wasn't sure if he was ready for this, he figured it couldn't hurt to try.

Suddenly, they heard clapping and looked to see Gin walking up to them. "That was a splendid performance everyone."

"You're here!" Lilynette said. Not having noticed him.

"Gin, how long have you been watching?" Tōsen asked.

"Long enough to see Sora-boy discover your trick." Gin replied. "But still your Bankai is such a pain. It's no fun if I can't see."

"It's no fun even if you're inside." Sora muttered, causing Gin's smile to widen.

"Still, didn't think you had what it took to get out of Kaname's Bankai." Gin complimented. "Who knows, maybe I might show you what my Bankai can do."

Sora winced, he certainly didn't want to deal with Gin anytime soon.

"What brings you over here?" Tōsen asked, knowing Gin would have a reason for showing up.

"I came here to tell you that Grimmjow and his Fracciónes have gone AWOL." He informed, surprised Sora and Lilynette. Tōsen had a feeling he knew what he was doing.

"They left for Karakura Town, didn't they?" Tōsen said, his voice fuming.

Gin nodded. "Seems Grimmjow couldn't wait to attack the Soul Reapers stationed there." That wasn't entirely true, but because Sora was here, it's better he didn't know the true reason. Something, Tōsen and Lilynette picked up on.

"Anyways, Lord Aizen wants you to retrieve them." Gin turned his head to Sora. "He also wants to see you."

"Me, why?" Sora asked.

"Says he has a job for you." Gin replied.

"Another mission." Lilynette said. "Isn't Lord Aizen working Sora a bit too much."

"It's okay Lilynette." Sora reassured, "I'll go see what he wants." With that, the three men left, while Lilynette decided to return to her chamber.

* * *

Sora arrived in Aizen's throne room, while Gin just went off elsewhere and Tōsen went to retrieve Grimmjow.

"Hello Sora." Aizen said, smiling from his chair. "I do apologize for summoning you, despite having little time to recover from your training."

"It's alright." Sora reassured, "What do you need me for?"

"I have heard sightings of a Hollow a few miles north from here," Sora was about to ask if it was a Menos Grande but Aizen continued. "No, this Hollow does not belong to any of the three classes of Menos. Yet, this particular Hollow caught my attention. I believe that with this Hollow on our side, our chances of defeating the 13 Court Guard Squad will certainly increase highly."

"So, you want me to look for this Hollow?" Sora asked.

"Yes. Please capture this Hollow and bring him back to me at once. You may use force if necessary, but don't kill him." Aizen instructed.

The Spiky-Haired teen nodded "Alright then, I'll get going." The Keyblade wielder started to run to the door before Aizen said.

"Before you leave, I decided to assign you a partner for this mission." As if on cue, the doors to the throne room opened. Sora looked to see the silhouette of a large man.

However, as the man came closer, Sora was able to get a better view of him. He had a big, burnt orange afro-style haircut with thick sideburns and a goatee. His outfit had been modified to match his particular style, including large frills on his collar and thighs. The remains of his Hollow mask were a sunglasses-shaped plate that were covering his eyes. They also had four teeth coming out above each eye. There was a star in the center of the mask fragment. This Arrancar pulled his mask plate over his forehead, where he looked down on Sora with an analytical stare.

Sora felt a bit uncomfortable by this man's stare. Aizen decided to give an introduction. "Sora, this is Gantenbainne Mosqueda. He is one of the _Privaron Espada_ and will serve as your partner for this mission.

Sora was confused as he heard 'Privaron Espada'. " _Privaron Espada? What are those? Is that a rank before an Arrancar becomes an Espada or is it something else?"_

Sora didn't have time to ponder that as he felt it was best to make a good impression. He walked over to Gantenbainne, smiled, and offered a hand of greetings. "It's nice to meet you Gantenbainne. My name is Sora."

Gantenbainne was a bit surprised "Likewise. I've heard of you before from comments and stories about you." Gantenbainne said as he shook Sora's hand. Then, the teen and Arrancar stood forward in front of Aizen.

"We'll be back soon, Lord Aizen." Gantenbainne spoke.

"Be sure you do." Aizen spoke. With that, the two left the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the many halls of Las Noches, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun were conversing with each other.

"Man, I'm bored." Apacci complained.

"Well, get used to it." Mila Rose said, annoyed. "Master Halibel is resting and we don't want to disturb her."

"Yeah, I know!" Apacci snapped. "I wish something would happened."

"What would you prefer we do?" Sung-Sun rhetorically asked.

Apacci stopped when she realized she had no answer. She also realized if she admitted that then Sung-Sun would tease her for it. Fortunately, Apacci spotted Sora walking down the hall across from them.

"Hey is that, Sora?" Apacci asked, pointing forward.

The other two followed he gaze and realized she was right. "What do you know, it is Sora." Mila Rose said.

"And he doesn't seem to be alone." Sung-Sun noticed Gantenbainne next to him.

"What's he doing with Gantenbainne?" Mila Rose asked, since Sora was mostly seen around Lilynette or Starrk.

"Why don't we find out." Apacci suggested. Before she could approach the duo, Mila Rose suddenly pulled her by the arm and dragged her to a corner, Sung-Sun following.

Apacci was about to yell at her for dragging her, but before she could, she noticed someone was hidden behind another corner, spying on Sora and Gantenbainne from behind. As soon as they got a closer view, they realized that this mysterious person was Nnoitra, sporting a sinister smirk on his face.

"So, Sora and that idiot Gantenbainne are going on a little mission?" Nnoitra said in an amused tone before giving a dark chuckle. "Now that he's away from Starrk and Halibel, this is my chance. I'll follow those two for now. Then, Sora will be all mine. As for that weakling Gantenbainne, I'll just kill him if he gets in the way."

The Fifth Espada then walked away, not having noticed Halibel's Fracciónes observing him. They immediately walked over to where Nnoitra was standing at before, contemplating on everything they just heard.

"This is ridiculous!" Mila Rose scowled. "Nnoitra's going too far this time."

Apacci just sighed, exasperated. "Man, first Grimmjow and his Fracciónes pull a stunt by attacking Karakura Town, now Nnoitra does this!"

"This could be troublesome." Sung-Sun pointed out. "Do you think we should inform Master Halibel?"

"Why should we?" Apacci asked. "It's not like Sora's a pushover. He'll just kick Nnoitra's butt like he almost did."

While surprised that Apacci was confident in Sora's abilities, not that she was wrong, Mila Rose said. "Apacci, you're missing the point. Yeah, Sora's skilled but Nnoitra wasn't even going all out the last time they fought. Plus, remember he wasn't even using his Resurrección."

Apacci wanted to argue but realized that her comrade had a good point. Sora caught Nnoitra by surprise the first time. However, now he was fully prepared for what Sora had in store.

"I…don't want Sora to die." Sung-Sun admitted, but was quick to say. "Because I doubt Lord Aizen, Lilynette, or Starrk would be pleased about it. Which is why we should go inform Master Halibel about this."

Mila Rose looked down. "You do have a point, but…"

Apacci reflected on the times Sora saved them from Nnoitra the first time and how he helped them again when they were being over powered by the Vasto Lordes. Throughout all those times, Sora was always helping them even though they never asked for it. Suddenly, she had a flashback to the time she met Halibel. She saved her life even though she didn't ask for it and since then she has been her devoted servant. Now, Nnoitra was going to attack and there was no way of knowing if Sora was fully prepared for this.

Suddenly, she turned over to her comrades, with a serious expression they've never seen before.

* * *

After a half hour, Sora and Gantenbainne were walking down the seemingly endless white desert. There were a couple Hollows here and there but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Throughout the trip, neither of them spoke, but then again, there wasn't really anything to talk about either. While he was walking, Sora gently glanced at the black sky of Hueco Mundo.

As expected, no traces of stars, meteor showers, or anything in that matter. All he ever saw in the sky were gray clouds and the crescent moon that always hovered above everywhere 24/7. The only time he ever saw light was inside the dome of Las Noches. But knowing that it was fake made it less convincing to him. _"Hueco Mundo. A world like this, it's no wonder why everyone here act like savages. A kill or be killed world. And the sky…looks so empty. I wonder if there's something I could do to help everyone back in Las Noches. Help them experience life, even in a place like this."_

Gantenbainne noticed Sora lost in thought and asked. "Hey, Sora. You okay?"

"Huh?" Sora shook his head as he heard the Arrancar speaking to him. "Oh, I'm alright. I'm just thinking about other things, that's all."

The Privaron Espada nodded and said. "Well then, we should get a move on. The faster we find that Hollow, the better." Sora nodded his head they continued walking for a few minutes. While they were walking, Sora couldn't help but think about what he heard back in the throne room. About what Privaron Espada meant.

The Spiky-Haired boy glanced at his Arrancar partner. He decided to ask him what's been on his mind now. "Hey Gantenbainne, do you mind if I ask you something?"

Without looking at him, the Afro-haired man responded. "Go ahead Kid. Shoot."

Sora felt a bit nervous but then said. "Aizen said that you were one of the Privaron Espada. I want to know what does that mean. Is it a rank before becoming an Espada?"

Gantenbainne stopped walking as he heard this. Seeing this, Sora felt that he might have said something he shouldn't have said. "I'm sorry. If it's something I said then…"

The Arrancar shook his head and said. "Nah, it's not your fault. Anyways, to answer your question, your wrong. Privaron Espada are actually former Espada that lost their ranks."

Sora was surprised to hear that. "Really, but that means you were once an Espada."

Gantenbainne nodded. "That's right. I was one of the Espada, however…" Gantenbainne trailed off, trying to find the right words, then he said. "Most of the past Espada were kicked out for disobeying Aizen, but that's not all true." Sora listened closely as Gantenbainne continued. "I was demoted because…I'm obsolete." Sora wondered what he meant by that. "I…we…knew from the start that the moment Lord Aizen obtained the Hōgyoku, then the rest of the Privaron Espada would no longer be needed."

"The Hōgyoku?" Sora said in a confused tone. Aizen never mentioned that before.

Gantenbainne nodded in understanding as he spoke. "No surprise there. To be honest, it's kind of vague to me, but from what the other Privaron Espadas gathered was that it was an orb that Aizen stole from the Soul Society about a month ago."

"What did he do with it?" Sora asked curiously.

"Simple. He used it to turn other Hollows into complete Arrancars. The Espada and majority of Arrancar you've met can be considered artificial Arrancars. Me and the other Privaron Espada however, are naturally made Arrancars."

The Spiky-Haired teen seemed impressed and a little overwhelmed by this. It certainly did explain how Aizen transformed the Hollows to Arrancars.

"And because Aizen preferred the artificial ones more than us, me the rest of the former Espada were demoted and pushed aside." Gantenbainne told Sora in a bitter tone in his voice.

"But then again, it's not like it mattered. After all, I don't even hold a candle to the current Espada. Especially, when you have Espada like Tier Halibel and Ulquiorra Cifer that were originally Vasto Lordes before becoming Arrancars."

Sora knew that Halibel had been a Vasto Lorde, but he was even more surprised when he discovered that Ulquiorra was one to.

"If you ask me, I don't think my powers will ever be useful to Aizen again." The Privaron Espada said solemnly.

Sora couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He didn't like how Gantenbainne was putting himself down. "Hey don't say that Gantenbainne. Just because the other Espada are stronger, that doesn't mean you're weaker."

Despite his attempt to cheer him up, the former Espada just frowned and said. "Appreciate the complement Sora, but try telling that to Aizen. It doesn't matter though. To be honest, I long since lost all interest in ever becoming an Espada again."

"Then, what do you plan to do?" Sora asked.

The Afro-haired man said. "I don't know. I'll just wait out this war. And if I do make it out of it, then I'll be keeping my options open. I just wished the same could be said about the others."

"Others?" Sora repeated.

"Right now, there are only three Privaron Espada. Myself and two others. We used to get along back in the day but since becoming Privaron Espada, things changed. Now, one of them only cares about is pleasing Aizen, hoping to be let back into the Espada while the other…" Gantenbainne shook his head, not wanting to think about her.

"It's been years since we've all talked." The tall Arrancar just glanced at Sora and said. "In the end, they lost themselves and I lost people I considered friends. But it's not too late for you."

Gantenbainne walked over to Sora and spoke to him in a serious voice. "Listen Sora. No matter what happens, or whatever troubles you go through, don't ever forget your beliefs and what you value. If you do, then you'll end up losing yourself like they did. I'm sure you have people you care for here, right?"

Sora thought about that before responding. "Well there's Starrk, Lilynette. And there's also Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun."

"Do you consider them friends?" he asked.

"I do consider them friends." Sora responded without hesitation. "I don't know if they think the same."

Gantenbainne recalled the meeting that took place the other day. He chuckled and said. "Don't worry about that. They may not look it, but I'm sure they care for you more then they let on."

"You think so?" Sora asked.

Gantenbainne nodded, "Yeah. Just talk to them and I'm sure they'll give you an answer. You're a strong kid Sora, but remember who you are, and keep on being you. And, remember to fight for what you believe is right. If you do that, then you'll be alright."

Sora took all the things he said to heart. " _Gantenbainne's right. No matter what happens to me, whether it's right now or later in the future, I'll just keep fighting like I've always have. I'll stay true to myself and never lose my way! After all, I promised a friend of mine that I'll never change and I'm not about to be breaking promises._ "

The Keyblade hero smiled at the taller man and smiled. "Thanks, Gantenbainne. I'll be just fine, and as long as I have Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel and the others, then nothing can stop me!"

The Arrancar looked surprised by this, but he smiled anyway and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "You know something Sora, you're alright." he certainly saw what Starrk, Halibel, and the others saw in him. Perhaps their high opinions of him weren't totally unfounded. "Let's go and finished up this mission."

"Right!" Sora agreed and the two started to run in the same direction they were walking.

A few minutes later, as they continued to run, Sora and Gantenbainne arrived at one of those Hollow caves. As they got closer, the two could see only one Hollow residing in it.

This Hollow was very unusual compared to the ones Sora has seen. This Hollow was roughly humanoid in both size and shape. From where he was standing, Sora could make out several protrusions that could be seen throughout its body. He also had streams of yellow hair from under its Hollow mask.

"Whoa, I've never seen a Hollow like that before." Sora said.

"Doesn't look like a Menos Grande either, but I can sense that it has enormous spirit energy." Gantenbainne added.

Suddenly, the strange Hollow head perked and saw the two standing a few feet away. Panicking, the Hollow rapidly crawled back in to its cave.

"He's running away!" Sora pointed out.

"Come on. We're going after him!" Gantenbainne shouted. After before the two could move, they were soon paralyzed when they heard a howling yell. The noise was so intense that they were forced to cover their ears and some boulders that were next to them, shattered. It lasted for a moment but then it stopped, though there was still some pebbles moving from the shockwave. As they uncovered their ears, the Keyblade wielder looked all confused.

"I don't get it. What did it do?" Sora asked, rubbing his ear.

The Privaron Espada narrowed his eyes. What was it trying to accomplish with the loud wail? Before he could ponder more, he heard a rumbling noise coming from the distance. Looking up ahead, they noticed a trail of dust heading towards them. It got closer and closer until they saw that the source of the smoke cloud; Hollows, at least fifty in total.

"Where did all these Hollows come from!?" Sora wondered, shocked by their numbers.

Gantenbainne thought the same thing. However, it didn't take him long to put two-in-two together; "I get it. That loud scream it did. It called them here."

Sora was shocked to hear that, but it did make sense. He looked back at the Hollows. "This might take a while to kill all of them." Sora spoke, a little concerned.

The Privaron Espada stepped forward and replied. "That's nothing to be worry about. Anyways Sora, you ready for this?"

Sora heard that and smirked as a response. "Like you have to ask. C'mon Gantenbainne. Let's show them what we're made of." Gantenbainne nodded as they stood back-to-back. Then, with a yell, they both split off and charge towards those army of Hollows. Gantenbainne punched one Hollow with just his fist, making a hole in its head. He jumped from the hollow and punched another one, shattering his mask completely. Another Hollow prepared to launched a Cero, but the Arrancar jumped over him and landed on his head. Using both his hands, he grabbed the Hollow's face and direct his Cero blast to obliterate eight others. When he was finished, he joined his hands together and brought them down on the Hollow, crushing his face.

Sora stabbed one Hollow straight through his face, where blood began gushing out. Another Hollow tried to punch him, but Sora _Dodge Rolled_ and bisected it in half. He began using Strike Raid, striking every single Hollow left and right. He then used King of Hearts to destroy five more and switched to Ragnarok and blasted the remaining ones till they turned to ash. "If this keeps up, we'll have them finished in no time." Sora cheered as he spotted ten more Hollow. He charged over to them

Then five gigantic Hollows surrounded Gantenbainne, all of whom fired five simultaneous Ceros at him. When the smoke cleared, he wasn't found anywhere. They all cheered, assumed he was beaten, but suddenly, Gantebainne appeared above one of them and kicked its face in. With the first Hollow dropping dead, he charged toward the other ones and started to release a series of rapid punches on them and finished them off with an uppercut. He then used Sonido and appeared next to another Hollow, and used a right-angled kick that smashed its heads.

Suddenly, a much larger Hollow towered behind Gantenbainne. It certainly looked more intimidating than the rest, but he wasn't scared one bit. Instead, he pulled out his dagger, which began generating spiritual energy and appeared in front of the larger one. _"Uno!"_ He then delivered a right-handed chamber punch onto its abdomen. _"Dos!"_ Then, the Arrancar delivered a session of numerous jabs from both his arms in rapid fast succession. _"Cientos!"_ Finally, he concluded with a devastating overhand strike with enough force that shattered the Hollow completely.

When he was finished, Gantenbainne landed on his feet and could see that their numbers had significantly dwindled to the single digits. The Afro-haired Arrancar sighed, all that build up for nothing. Quality over quantity, as they would put it. He could see Sora was still taking care of the remaining ones. Sora saw that there were only five more remaining, he readied a Fire spell but then a strange sensation came to him. Instead, he launched a fire ball that was even larger than the standard fire he casted. " _Fire!"_ The attack was enough to destroy the remaining Hollows.

After the Hollows were destroyed, Gantenbainne walked up to Sora, "Wow, kid. Gotta say, that was impressive." He complemented.

Sora accepted it with a smile. "Thanks, and you were awesome to Gantenbainne." Sora cheered as he walked over to the Arrancar. "So, what do we do now?"

Gantenbainne looked back at the cave, "That Hollow probably snuck away while we were fighting those other Hollows. Let's just hope it didn't get to far."

"Don't worry, we'll find it. And if it tries to call for backup, then we'll just fight them off. After all, you may not be an Espada anymore, but like I said, that doesn't mean you're weaker. With the two of us, we're more than enough." Sora said, genuinely. Gantenbainne couldn't help but smile proudly. This kid sure was something. A strong heart and guts, it's no wonder he made it this far. However, Gantenbainne noticed something that made his smile drop, with his eyes widen in shock and terror.

Sora noticed this and was about to ask what was wrong until the Privaron Espada suddenly knocked him away. Sora landed on the ground and looked up to see Gantenbainne get struck to the side by a crescent-shaped object.

"Gantenbainne!" Sora yelled as he rushed over to his fallen partner's. The Spiky-Haired boy could see that despite the huge, deep wound he had, he was alive, but unconscious.

"Who did this? Show yourself!" Sora demanded, looking around.

"That pathetic reject just had to get in my way." Someone remarked from behind one of the rocks. Sora looked up as he heard this. "Ah well, it doesn't matter. That just means one less pest to deal with." Suddenly, the person was revealed to be Nnoitra, carrying his usual axe over his shoulder, while sporting a sadistic grin.

Sora was surprised to see him here of all times and places. "Nnoitra? You did this! What are you doing here?" Sora demanded, summoning his Keyblade.

The Fifth Espada grinned excitedly. "What do you think? I'm here to settle the score. This time, there's no Starrk or Halibel or anyone else for that matter to interfere."

"You tried to attack me while I had my back turned!" Sora yelled angrily. "If it hadn't been for Gantenbainne…what you did, how do call that a fair fight!?"

"Oh, Shut the hell up!" Nnoitra yelled back. "Like you would actually fight fair. Anything goes in a fight, that includes attacking someone unguarded or defenseless. Now after I get rid of you, I'm gonna show everyone who the real strongest is and that no human knew how to fight."

Sora knew that Nnoitra wasn't going to listen to reason. While he would try to avoid any unnecessary conflict, after what Nnoitra did to Gantenbainne he wasn't going to leave without a fight. If he did, then he'd be letting him win by making him think he was afraid to fight.

So, Sora glared at the Fifth Espada and said. "Alright, fine." Sora got into his stance. "If you want to fight, I'll give you one. Only I'm gonna show what losing feels like."

Nnoitra scowled at that remark,/ but shook it off and said. "We'll just see about that. Come at me Sora!" Nnoitra yelled as he and Sora charged straight at each other, ready to fight once again.

Nnoita brought his axe down, but Sora held his Keyblade up horizontally, blocking the attack. The collision of attacks released an enormous pressure that left a deep crater on the ground. Sora struggled to knock him back but Nnoitra proved stronger than he thought. Nnoitra however kicked Sora square in the gut causing him to fly back.

Sora regained himself and slid across the sand. Looking up, he fired several rounds of fire spells, with one ice in the end. Reacting quickly, Nnoitra knocked them all away. However, the ice spell froze his hand once again. Sora then came charging up and did several strikes on Nnoitra's chest. While sending him back, in didn't do nearly enough damage.

The Fifth Espada laughed. "As if your puny attacks could break this body. Looks like you never learn your lesson."

Sora knew he was right. If he wanted to damage him, he should use those techniques he learned before. He performed a Strike Raid and dashed forward afterwards.

"That attack again." Nnoitra said, bored. He knocked it away, however he failed to say Sora running and now he was right in front of him.

" **Second Form!** " He shouted as he re-summoned his Keyblade and used Sonic Blade and attacked Nnoitra several times, causing a bit of damage. As he appeared behind for the final strike, Nnoitra suddenly grabbed his face and slammed him to the ground. Sora came to just in time to see his opponent preparing to slam his blade down.

Fortunately, Sora Dodge Rolled in time. He looked up to see Nnoitra with a mocking grin. "Get up. I'm not done with you yet." Sora just glared and decided to use the attack that managed to slightly injure him during their first battle. He closed his eyes and used Zantetsuken. However, Nnoitra had anticipated such attack and blocked it with his axe. However, the attack caused the crescent to break off one of the sides, much to Nnoitra's surprise. Sora took the chance to kick Nnoitra in the face and use it as a springboard to catapult himself away.

"Why you little…" The Fifth Espada rubbed his face, not out of pain but irritation.

"I'm not through with you yet." Sora declared. He raised his Keyblade and channeled as much energy as he could gather. He attempted to use Ragnarok again. "It's over! **Shotlock Max: Ragnarok!** " Sora fired several beams of light from his Keybalde. Nnoitra however, smirked. He bit his tongue which due a bit of blood. Afterwards, he began charging a Cero however, this Cero was more golden than the last one. He fired his strange Cero that collided with the beams from Ragnarok. Both attacks were so powerful that it resulted in a huge explosion that send them both flying.

As Sora got up, he couldn't help but wonder about that Cero. "What kind of Cero was that. It felt more different and more powerful."

Nnoitra chuckled as he got up as well. "Not too surprising that you don't know. What you witnessed was a _Gran Rey Cero_."

"A Gran Rey Cero?" He repeated.

"It's a Cero that only the Espada are capable of using." Nnoitra explained. "It's done by mixing a normal Cero with our blood, that makes it more powerful and faster. Of course, one of the big rules in Las Noches is that the Espada aren't allowed to use it inside the dome."

Nnoitra then picked up his axe. "Anyways, let's get this fight over with." However, before he could move, two objects bounced off his back. Annoyed he turned around and, much to Sora's surprise, saw Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun standing not too far off. Apacci was holding out her chakrams, indicating that she threw them. Mila Rose was carrying Gantenbainne over her shoulder. Sora remembered that he took this fight elsewhere so Gantenbainne wouldn't be hurt.

"Apacci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun." Sora called with both excitement and surprise.

"You three." Nnoitra said, annoyed by their interference. "What the hell are you women doing here."

"We could say the same thing about you." Sung-Sun shot back. "As usual, you never learn."

Mila Rose glared at him as she sat Gantenbainne down. "I can't believe you're trying to kill Sora again. After everything Lord Aizen said."

"Yeah, that's why we're here to make sure that doesn't happen! We'll save Sora from you" Apacci shouted.

Sora was surprised. "You guys came to save me?" He couldn't help but feel touched.

Apacci blinked, realizing what she shouted. She shook it off and crossed he arms, looking away. "We're…just here to get back at Nnoitra…and if it means helping you…"

Mila Rose chuckled mockingly. "Ignore her Sora, she was the one who said we should be the ones to save you."

Apacci shot her a glare. "Yeah well you two could've just gone back to Master Halibel but decided to follow me!"

Now, Mila Rose had no counter when she realized Apacci was right. She could've just gone back to their master and warned her. But instead she chose to come here. Sung-Sun also felt the same but decided to provide an answer.

"Regardless of why we're here, Sora is a valued ally and we wish to make sure he is protected." Sung-Sung explained.

Valued ally. Sora had asked Gantenbainne that he had hoped that Halibel and her Fracciónes considered him a friend. While they didn't show it, he took it as a sign that they did.

Nnoitra looked at Sora and then let out a laugh. "You three really came here to save him. Boy Sora, who knew you were popular with the ladies."

Sora and the girls just glared at him. Sora looked over at them. "Well, for whatever reason, I'm glad you're here."

The girls smiled at that. "Now then, let's fight him together. Alright, let's go!" Apacci declared.

"Hold on Apacci, I'm afraid we can't hold back this time." Mila Rose said sternly. "If we want to stand a chance against Nnoitra, we have to use our Resurrección."

"I had hoped we would've shown Sora at an appropriate time." Sung-Sun said, admitting she had a point.

"Alright fine." Apacci said as she pulled out her chakrams. She suddenly began emitting red spiritual energy. " _Thrust! Ci_ …"

She never got to finish as she was suddenly interrupted midway. "I'm afraid you won't be doing anything."

Everyone turned at the new arrival. It was a slim, male Arrancar with dirty blonde hair. He had a turquoise marking on his right cheek and wore an eyepatch over his brown right eye. He wore a different styled jacket from most Arrancar, as it resembled a lab coat, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and what appeared to be medals sewn across his chest. He also wore black gloves and boots. The remains of his Hollow mask appeared to be a thin upper jaw which formed a circlet around his forehead.

Sora was confused as to who he was, but Nnoitra frowned, clearly knowing this Arrancar. "Tesla. What the hell are you doing here?"

True enough, his name was Tesla Lindocruz. The only Fracción of Nnoitra. "I noticed them following you, Master Nnoitra." Tesla answered. "They were about to unleash their Resurreccións. I didn't wish for them to…"

"Did you really think I needed your help to finish off these weaklings!?" Nnoitra yelled, causing Tesla to freeze at his anger. Nnoitra slightly calmed down and said. "If you wanna make yourself useful, keep those pests out."

Tesla paused for a moment before lowering his head. "As you wish, master."

Nnoitra rolled his eye before looking back at Sora. "Looks like it's just the two of us."

Sora looked back and forth between Nnoitra and this Tesla person. While he could tell that he must've been his Fracción, something told him that their relationship was the opposite of Halibel and her Fracciónes. Nonetheless, he shook his head and glared at Nnoitra. "If it's a one-on-one fight you want, then." Sora declared, resuming his stance. "I'm gonna show you that I'm stronger than you think."

Sora dove in, attempting to stab Nnoitra. He casually stepped aside and countered with a slash of his own, causing Sora to roll across the sand. Sora recovered and got to his feet as Nnoitra jumped up and fired another Cero. Sora rolled and avoided the attack, then he dashed closer until he was within Nnoitra's range. He slashed him several times, sending him backwards. But he didn't stop there, he fired several fireball spells that exploded at Nnoitra upon contact.

The smoke cleared and while there were singes and holes in his uniforms, Nnoitra appeared unharmed at all. "Did you really think you could break my Hierro if you kept burning me!?" Nnoitra yelled, angrier then hurt.

"Your Hierro strong, but not invincible." Sora shot back. His Hierro had to have some weakness. So, he'll just have to keep hitting. Hopefully, his Hierro will were down. Sora and Nnoitra charged at the same time. they clashed their blades, causing a huge shockwave around them, sending dust flying everywhere.

The force was so strong that spectators tried to brace themselves, but they ended up being blasted away.

The girls bounced off the sand and landed not too far away. Apacci rubbed her head as she got up. "Man, those two are going all out."

Mila Rose rubbed her shoulder as she saw Sora and Nnoitra attacking each other with strike after strike, neither one backing down. "Yeah, I'm starting to think that it was a mistake coming here after all."

Sung-Sun wiped some sand off her sleeve. "It appears Sora has become stronger since the last battle. Maybe those missions weren't a waste after all."

Apacci agreed. "See, I told you Sora would kick Nnoitra's butt."

"How foolish." They turned to see Tesla, having picked himself up, standing before them. "You don't truly believe that this human can actually defeat Master Nnoitra?"

"Of course, he can!" Apacci shouted with conviction. "You haven't seen Sora fight like we can. If he could do half the things he said, then he can totally beat him." Mila Rose and Sung-Sun nodded their heads in agreement, a rear moment for them.

Tesla merely frowned, as he returned his gaze to the battle, the girls following suit. So far, it looked like an even fight. Sora had a few cuts, but not too severe. However, no matter how many times Sora struck him, Nnoitra's Hierro wasn't weakening at all.

Nnoitra sneered, noticing his expression. "Let me guess, you thought by hitting me over and over, my Hierro would wear down." Sora's eyes widen as Nnoitra hit the nail in the head. "Too bad. You could for hundred years, but no matter what you do, my Hierro isn't breaking down. Now brace yourself for this!" Suddenly, Nnoitra jumped in the air again. This time, he grabbed the chain of his Zanpakutō. Sora wondered what he was up to, but then Nnoitra sneered as he began using the chain to swing his Zanpakutō around. He swung it so fast that it caused all the sand to raise and spin rapidly until it became a giant whirlwind of sand, with Sora caught in the middle of it.

The spectators had to cover their eyes as the pressure was so intense, they could barely see what was happening. Meanwhile, Sora was right inside the whirlwind and had it worse since the sand prevented him from seeing clearly. He did squint his eyes to see where Nnoitra was. He was unable to see him because of all this sand. Suddenly, he noticed an object coming towards him. It didn't take him long to realize that was Nnoitra's Zanpakutō. Knowing that Nnoitra had to be in that direction, Sora jumped out of the way in the nick of time. Then, he began running on the chain until he saw Nnoitra. Sora attempted to bring down his Keyblade when Nnoitra grabbed the front of it with his hand, much to Sora's surprise. Smirking, Nnoitra proceeded to throw Sora straight down to the ground, where he broke through some rocks.

The girls winced, knowing that impact had to hurt. Nnoitra grinned in satisfaction. Sora however, got up from the rubble. He had casted Aero in time, but the impact still hurt like hell. He could see his arm was bruised up and he cracked a few of his ribs. He shakily got up to his feet as his Second Form dispelled while breathing heavily at the loss of stamina.

"Now, where were we." Nnoitra said, preparing to go for the kill.

Sora was at a loss of word. He knew Nnoitra was tough but this wasn't what he expected. They fought evenly last time. But then again, Nnoitra was caught off guard plus he wasn't even going all out. He was an idiot to think he had been prepared for this. Of course, he wasn't going to give up either. He got into his fighting stance.

The girls however, could see that Sora was still in pain. Apacci couldn't take more of this and dashed forward. "That's it! I'm not standing around and watching this!"

Tesla made to attack but was suddenly put into a chokehold by Mila Rose. "Move and I'll break your neck." She warned, causing Tesla to grit his teeth.

Nnoitra noticed Apacci running. "I thought I told you to stay outta this!" He yelled, annoyed by her interference. He opened his mouth and fired another Cero. Everything seemed to slow down for Sora. He could see the Cero heading straight for Apacci. He knew she wouldn't react fast enough to dodge it. With amazing speed, Sora appeared in took the oncoming Cero blast.

Apacci and the girls froze in horror as the Cero hit Sora square in the chest. "SORA!" They screamed as he fell to the ground.

Mila Rose tossed Tesla to the side, while she, Sung-Sun, and Apacci ran over to Sora's side. They could see that he was clutching his chest in pain. The Cero left a deep burn mark on his chest. He looked as if he was struggling just to stay conscious.

"Sora, Sora, are you okay!" Mila Rose asked, concerned.

"Stay with us!" Sung-Sun cried.

Apacci gritted her teeth in grief. "You idiot! Why did you do that!?"

Sora looked over to her, smiling. "Sorry, I…just…couldn't help myself." He chuckled, despite his pain.

Sadness filled the girls, especially Apacci. He went out of his way to save her again and got hurt in the process. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Nnoitra's maniacal laughter.

"Imbecile! Outta all the people here, I've never met anyone stupid like you!" He roared in laughter. "If you had focused on me you could've dodged that Cero but instead you had to go and be all noble!" He began walking to them. "Though I'll give you credit for hitting me, even though they never hurt."

The girls looked at Nnoita infuriated. He had no right to say those things. Sora just did what he thought was right and he got to be made fun of it because of that. Apacci was furious beyond recognition.

Nnoitra stopped as he stood before them. "Now, then. I think it's time for you to die."

Die. That was it. Apacci howled in rage as she lunged toward the Fifth Espada. She took out her chakrams, ready to strike Nnoitra. However, he used his Zanpakutō to strike her, knocking her to the ground.

He scoffed. "Pathetic."

However, Mila Rose appeared in front of him. She had her sword raised and brought it down to cut Nnoitra. However, it broke the moment it came into contact with his chest. She looked in horror and suddenly, Nnoitra held her by the throat, choking the air out of her. Sung-Sun then appeared behind him, with her sai ready to attack. Nnoitra however, just elbowed her square in the chest, causing her to spit up bile as she fell.

Seeing Apacci and Sung-Sun lying flat on their backs in pain, he decided to throw Mila Rose to the ground like a rag doll. He looked over at his Fracción. "Tesla, _this time_ make sure they don't get up." He ordered strictly, with Tesla knowing that his master was unhappy that he couldn't stop them the first time.

"Yes, Master Nnoitra." He responded, taking out his sword.

Sora looked to see Tesla moving in to finish off Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. Sora struggled to get up but his body was in so much pain that he couldn't move a single muscle. _"I've got to do something. If I don't then Apacci and the others are gonna die. But my body hurts so much. C'mon MOVE!"_

Suddenly, Sora looked to see a mysterious figure, standing before him. The figure was wearing a hooded-brown cloak that covered its whole body. Sora could only see the figure's feet. As for the face, the hood covered most of it, however, Sora could see the lower part that appeared feminine. Sora realized that this mysterious figure had to be a woman.

This unknown woman looked down, smiling at him. She raised her hand, which started glowing. This caused Sora's whole body to glow as well, with enormous light shining off him. Sora looked confused but realized that his body was healing.

Meanwhile, Nnoitra and Tesla had been focusing on the girls to notice anything happening to Sora. Nnoitra just looked down on them, scoffing. "Boy that fight was boring. I could kill you three myself but then nobody will recognize me as the strongest if I keep killing weaklings. Tesla, hurry up and kill them so I can move on to Sora."

Tesla nodded as he proceeded to make the final blow. But suddenly…

"Hey! Leave them alone you bastards!"

Everyone turned to see Lilynette, looking extremely pissed.

Nnoitra looked at her uninterested. "What are you doing here?"

"Lilynette…" Apacci said, clenching her stomach in pain.

"I saw you three leaving Las Noches so I decided to follow you." Lilynette explained to them, before focusing her anger on Nnoitra. "Now, I come here and see this!"

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" Nnoitra snorted. "Planning to run back to Starrk or fight me?"

"Lilynette!" Sung-Sun managed to cry out. "Go back and get Master Halibel!"

"No! I'm staying!" She said firmly.

"Don't be stupid!" Mila Rose yelled. "You're no match for him!"

"I don't care!" Lilynette pulled out her scimitar. "I'm not running away from a coward like him!"

Nnoitra frowned. "Coward?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Lilynette taunted. "You're always going off saying how everything goes in a fight but I think it's because you know can't win in a straight fight!"

Now, Nnoitra was infuriated. "You little brat! Who the hell to you think you're talking to! I'm the most powerful Espada ever created!"

"If you were the strongest, Lord Aizen would've made you number one ages ago!" Lilynette countered. "Instead, you came over here because you knew Sora was on his own without an Espada. I bet the only reason you attacked him now was because you were afraid of fighting Starrk and Halibel!"

Tesla couldn't help but run back. He knew full well how his Master was like when he was angry. And now Lilynette sent him over the edge. Nnoitra was clenching his Zanpakutō tightly. "That's it! You're dead!"

Lilynette assumed her fighting stance. She knew she was going to lose but at least she wasn't going down without a fight.

However, before either of them could move. They sensed a tremendous amount of energy emanating from somewhere. They turned to see Sora standing up, having changed into his Second Form, but this was different. Everyone could feel a raw amount of light energy coming from him. The wound on his chest had disappeared completely.

Lilynette and the other girls stared in awe at Sora's raw power. It was nothing like the one they were used to before. Unknown to them, it was an advance version of the Second Form. " _ **Second Form S!**_ "

Nnoitra snarled and charged at Sora. "I don't know how you're up, but I'll make sure you stay down for good!"

As Nnoitra brought down his Zanpakutō, Sora turned around at the last minute and summoned his Kingdom Key Keyblade, swatting Nnoitra away. The impact sent the Fifth Espada flying back until he landed across the sand. However, he felt something coming down from his cheek. He rubbed it and was shocked to see what it was. It was blood. _His_ blood.

Frustrated, Nnoitra fired a Gran Rey Cero towards Sora. Sora however held out his empty hand, and to everyone's surprise, Sora summoned another Keyblade and deflected the blast.

The girls looked to see Sora's second Keyblade was different than his standard one. The guard looked similar to the Kingdom Key but was deep, pastel blue while the handle itself is a deep indigo. The shaft is light-blue and rounded, ending with an orb past the teeth, which are formed by a spike and a five-pointed star of the same color. A gold rainguard is at the bottom of the bar. The Keychain is a five-pointed gold star and it is attached to the hilt of the Keyblade with a silver chain. This Keyblade was known as " _Starlight_ ".

Nnoitra's mouth dropped in shock and astonishment. And he wasn't the only one. The girls never expected Sora was capable of something like that. Unknown to them, the technique Sora just discovered was known as " _Synch Blade_."

"He can use two Keyblades!" Apacci shouted.

"I had no idea he could do that!" Mila Rose breathed.

"This is unexpected." Sung-Sun stated, though her mouth was covered her wide eyes showed she was also surprised.

"Sora…" Lilynette said. Sora looked so intense that she thought he might have become a different person. Sora looked at her with an intense glare that caused her to step back. However, his eyes soon softened and a small smile grew on his face.

"Hey Lilynette." Sora said. Lilynette gasped, realizing that he was the same Sora she had come to know.

A genuine smile grew on her face. "Sora, you're alright."

Sora chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, sorry I took so long, but I'm back." Sora then got serious. "Now, I want you to wait over with Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. I'll handle this."

Lilynette nodded and ran over to where they were. Sora turned and glared at the Fifth Espada. "I don't know how many people you have to hurt so you keep pretending to be the strongest, but it ends now!" Sora held his two Keyblades and got into a fighting stance, holding Kingdom Key in a normal grip and Starlight in a reverse grip. "Messing with my friends was the biggest mistake you've ever made!"

Friends. This caused the four girls to stare at Sora. Nnoitra growled. "The only mistake I made was not killing you sooner."

"Then come at me." Sora said as his body began glowing.

Nnoitra lunged at Sora bring his Zanpakutō down. Sora however, blocked the front with his Kingdom Key, but then flipped over and used his Starlight to strike Nnoitra several times in the chest. Nnoitra was sent back but then used Sonido to appear behind Sora. He threw his scythe while holding on to the chain. The chain extended but Sora side stepped and shot a lightning spell at Nnoitra.

" _Thundaza!_ " He shouted as five columns of lightning struck Nnoitra. The Fifth Espada gritted his teeth as he felt the intense shock.

"Guess you're Hierro isn't effective against lightning." Sora taunted.

Nnoitra dashed forward and sent a fury of strikes against Sora, which he countered everyone. Finally, Sora rose up a bit and raised his Starlight.

" ** _Shotlock!_ **_**Blades of the Round:** " _He shouted, firing several spinning energy blades. The blades exploded upon contact with Nnoitra, causing him cry out in pain. However, Sora wasn't finished yet.

"Take this! _**Shotlock Max: Union Ragnarok!** " _From the tip of Starlight, Sora fired a cluster of energy similar to Ragnarok, only they were larger and composed of pure light. The attack stuck Nnoitra's chest, sending him flying several meters.

The girls watched in awe and satisfaction with every attack Sora dealt in Nnoitra. Tesla however, gripped his sword tightly. He wanted to help but knew he would stand no chance against this human.

"Alright, Sora! Kick his ass!" Lilynette cheered.

"Go Sora!" Apacci cheered alongside.

Mila Rose only cheered in silent. She knew Sora was full of surprises but this only prove that his surprises would never cease. He truly was a resourceful fighter.

Sung-Sun couldn't help but see something in Sora. One that just made anyone want to believe in him. That no matter how hard the obstacles were, he would always come out on top. She had always had a similar feeling with Halibel and Lord Aizen.

"Enough!" Nnoitra fired a Cero that destroyed all the orbs, causing a mild explosion. However, before the smoke could clear, Sora leapt out from it and tried to attack the Espada with a barrage of slashes. Nnoitra back-shuffled, but then put up his Zanpakutō as a barrier as Sora kept coming down on him repeatedly.

As Sora kept dealing several more strikes, they came to a standstill. The two struggled for superiority, and as they did, Nnoitra tried to comprehend what was happening. "You think just because you gained an extra blade, means you can beat me!?"

Sora then began pushing back. "Just watch, I'm going to WIN!" Just then, Sora's body began glowing. As it did, the crescent of Nnoitra Zanpakutō shattered.

Nnoitra's eye widen in shock. "No. I'm the strongest!"

"IT OVER!" Suddenly, Sora jumped a few feet off the ground, then he crossed his Keyblades together and held them upwards, summoning five pillars of light that crisscrossed around him. The pillars soon condensed into five large orbs that covered Sora, until he released the attack in a massive burst, sending dozens of light keyblades all around. The girls all took cover under some rubble, same with Tesla. However, Nnoitra had nowhere to hide and dodged as much as he could, but took the full force of those attacks. After a while, Sora was cloaked in a shield of light. This attack was known as " _Ancient Light!_ ".

As the attack finished, Sora crossed his blades together and dashed forward, striking Nnoitra and leaving an X-shaped slash on his chest.

"Looks like I win." Sora declared as Nnoitra collapsed. Sora took a deep breath and suddenly Starlight disappeared and he reverted back to his regular form.

"Master Nnoitra!" Sora walked over to the girls as Tesla ran over to check on his master.

"C'mon guys, let's head over to the infirmary." Sora said to them.

"Sora, that was incredible." Apacci said, looking back and forth.

"You actually beat, Nnoitra." Mila Rose said in amazement.

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it was more of a close call."

"But still, to have defeated an Espada is something worth being proud of." Sung-Sun said. Then she smiled, one that Sora never seen since she kept her mouth covered. "Then again, thank you for saving us."

Sora smile back and would've return the thanks had Lilynette not latched himself onto his neck. "I knew you could beat Nnoitra! I knew it!" She shouted, causing Sora to wince since she was near his ear.

Before anyone could do anything, Tesla was suddenly sent flying and land near them. Everyone turned to see Nnoitra standing up, though he was bent over. The top of his uniform was shredded, leaving his bare chest exposed. His whole body was covered with scorch marks and cuts that bled, covering parts of him in blood.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" He said between pants. "This fight ain't over yet."

Sora just looked at him. "By the way you look, I say it already is."

"I don't need your pity!" He bellowed. Then he held his Zanpakutō forward. "Let's see how you handle me at full power!"

The girl's eyes widen. They knew what Nnoitra was up to.

"Sora! He's gonna release himself!" Lilynette warned. Sora didn't understand until realizing what she meant. Nnoitra was going to enter his Resurrección.

" _Pray! Santa Ter…_ "

Before he could finish, someone appeared and kick him in the chest, sending Nnoitra back. Nnoitra looked and saw Halibel standing between him and Sora.

"Master Halibel!" Apacci cried out.

"Halibel." Nnoitra narrowed his eye. "What the hell are you doing here? STAY OUT OF THIS!"

"I already warned you to never harm my Fracciónes." She said coldly. "Yet you made an attempt at Starrk's and Sora and Gantenbainne as well."

"And she's not the only one." Everyone turned to see Starrk, carrying something wrapped in bandages on his shoulder.

"Starrk!" Lilynette cried.

"I think I also warned you that if you wanted Sora, you'd have to get through me." He said sternly.

Nnoitra looked at the higher ranked Espada with hate-filled eyes. _"Damn those two. They think they could look down on me."_ Nnoitra grabbed his weapon, "Fine then! If you guys wanna fight, I'll take you both on the same time!"

"Wouldn't be much of a fight." Starrk pointed out.

"Your bloodlust knows no bounds." Halibel said, shaking her head. Angering Nnoitra further.

Sora decided to get in the way before things got heavy. "Wait! Wait a minute! How did you guys know what was happening!?"

"I told them." Everyone turned to see Gantenbainne walking forward. The girl's eyes widened, they completely forgotten about him. "Snuck off while you guys were focusing on the fight and ran back to tell them." He then paused as he saw Nnoitra's condition. "Not that I needed to. Looks like Sora was able to pull through."

"Gantenbainne." Sora said, happy to see he was okay.

Gantenbainne sported a small smile himself, then turned serious. "Though if wish to keep fighting, then go ahead. But you'll have to deal with me to." He got into a fighting position.

Nnoitra looked to see Lilynette and Halibel's Fracciónes getting ready to fight as well. Sora held his Keyblade tightly while Starrk and Halibel just stood there, though looked ready to intervene if he chose to go on. Seeing them, Nnoitra came to a difficult decision.

Tesla pulled out his sword, ready to join in but Nnoitra raised his hand to stop him. "…I'm outta here. Tesla let's go!" He ordered angrily, causing his Fracción to follow him without hesitation.

Sora looked confused by this, as did everyone else. "Wait, you're leaving?"

The Fifth Espada looked at him with an annoyed glare. "I really want to kill you right now but everyone keeps getting in the way. But remember, the next time we fight will be the last."

With that, the Espada and Fracción disappeared through Sonido.

When they were gone, Sora let out a sigh of relief. "Man, I'm glad that's over." He looked at the two Espada and Privaron. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

"There is no need to thank us." Halibel assured.

"Yeah. We were just at the right place." Starrk responded. "But you ought to be thanking Gantenbainne since he called us here."

"I know." Sora said before turning to the Privaron Espada. "Thanks, Gantenbainne."

Gantenbainne nodded in response. "Don't mention it Sora."

Lilynette looked over at what Starrk was carrying. "Hey, Starrk. What'cha got there?"

"Oh, this." Starrk held the thing out so they could get a better glimpse. "It's that Hollow that Sora and Gantenbainne were supposed to get."

Sora's eyes widen in surprise. "Wait, that's the Hollow!?"

Gantenbainne nodded. "Found it trying to run away from your battle. That's when Starrk knocked it out and tied it up."

Sora looked at it trying to squirm from its wrapped prison. He chuckled, "Well, looks like the mission was a success."

"If that's true then let's head back." Gantenbainne as everyone followed suit.

Halibel looked over at her Fracciónes. "We should get you three healed as well."

"Yes, Master Halibel." They said together.

* * *

Sora, Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun were all gathered together at the infirmary. Gantenbainne had taken the Hollow back to the Aizen and report on their mission.

"So, Nnoitra attacked Gantenbainne after the Hollow escaped?" Halibel asked, Sora relying the information to them.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, since you and Starrk weren't around me this time, he thought it was the perfect opportunity to attack."

"It's true. We over heard him." Apacci verified as the other two nodded in response.

"We wanted to warn you but…" Mila Rose looked at Sora before saying. "Sora's done so much for us, we wanted to return the favor."

"We only wanted to help." Sung-Sun said, sad that they didn't do anything.

"I admire your bravery but you shouldn't try to do so much on your own." Halibel said.

Starrk looked over at Lilynette. "And you?"

Lilynette just raised her hands in defense. "I saw them leaving Las Noches so I followed them." Her expression darkened as she remembered the sight she saw. "But then that bastard tried to hurt Apacci and Sora got in the way of the attack."

Halibel's eyes widen hearing that. Before saying anything Lilynette continued. "Then, Nnoitra was about to finish them off so I stepped in and called him out."

"You did what?" Starrk said, aggravated that she would pull a stunt like that.

"I called him out!" She repeated. "I wasn't going to let him kill Sora. But then, Sora came to in the nick of time and did something incredible." She raised he arms in emphasis.

The two Espada looked confused until Sung-Sun decided to speak up. "Apparently, Sora has the ability to summon two Keyblades. A dual-wielding form I would say. He also displayed a tremendous amount of magic energy."

"I see." Halibel said, understanding. "I see you gained another power."

"But, wait. Does that mean you have another memory?" Starrk asked, causing everyone to look at him.

Sora rubbed his head, wondering what he should say. "Well…to be honest…I don't know."

"You don't know?" Mila Rose repeated.

"It wasn't a memory. I just felt something squeezing me inside. Like a person lending me their power." Sora explained the best he could. But then his thoughts drifted to that moment. Where that mysterious woman came and revived him with magic energy. Sora didn't know who she was or why she appeared in this mind. She was a total mystery. " _Who was that women?_ "

Everyone looked to see Sora in deep thought. They were about to say something when Sora just snapped out of it and put his hands behind his head. "Ah well. Can't keep thinking about it now." He said nonchalantly, causing Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun to do an anime drop.

"Do you even think these things through." Apacci said irritated.

"Well I still don't have my memories together. Besides, I prefer to learn things as I go along." Sora said with Apacci sighing at how laid back he could be, but smiling nonetheless.

"Well, as long as it helped you beat Nnoitra then who are we to complain." Starrk said causing Lilynette to narrow her eyes at him.

"Well, after what he was going to do to the girls, I wasn't going to stand by and do nothing." Sora said, causing Lilynette's eyes to widen as she remembered something.

"Hey, Sora." Sora turned to see Lilynette looking nervous, avoiding eye contact. "Do…you really see us as your friends?"

This caught the attention of everyone, even Starrk and Halibel as they looked over at Sora once more.

"Well sure." Sora said without hesitation. "Hueco Mundo isn't really the friendliest world I've been to. But because I've met you guys, I can't help but feel happy here. You've all been real nice to me and you're really fun to be around."

The Arrancars looked at each other. They weren't really used to genuine compliments, especially from a human.

"You really think so?" Lilynette asked, Sora nodding. Apacci, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun remained silent but then the former turned to Sora.

"Hey, listen." Apacci said rubbing the back of her head. "We really weren't that nice to you the first time."

"When you first came here, we just assumed that you were no better than any of the males here. But after all this time, we were wrong." Mila Rose said sincerely.

"Please forgive us for misjudging you." Sung-Sun said.

Sora smiled. "Well, how about we agree to be friends and call it even." Sora said, this time the three girls smiled and nodded in acceptance.

Sora looked over to Lilynette, waiting for her answer. She had a mock thinking expression before saying. "Alright. But you better teach me more of those swords tricks later on."

Sora laughed. "Alright, it's a deal." Lilynette smiled alongside him.

Starrk and Halibel remained silent throughout most of the ordeal. Of course, they couldn't help but find the whole thing a bit amusing. Starrk decided to clear his throat. "Well, I think it's time we head back."

Sora and Lilynette got up and followed Starrk as they walked out the door. Before leaving, Halibel stopped them, "Just a moment. I wish to speak to Sora."

The Keybearer turned to see a hardened glare from her. "Is that true that you deliberately intercepted a Cero to save Apacci?"

Sora was a bit nervous by her expression but nodded. Just then, Halibel's eyes softened, "I see." Suddenly, she placed her hands on Sora's shoulders, much to everyone's surprise. "Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me. For having risked your life to save my Fracciónes you have earned my trust in you. I am proud to call you my ally."

Everyone, even Starrk, smiled at the scene. Sora felt moved but gave his signature smile, "It's no problem Halibel. I'll always protect my friends. And that includes you and Starrk."

Behind her mask and jacket, Halibel gave a small smile of her own. She had to admit, it was nice to have someone like Sora here. For as long as she could remember, this had always been a Hollow eat Hollow world. Then Aizen came along and gave Hollows a purpose, yet despite that, some like Nnoitra and Grimmjow misused that power for their own bloodlust. But still, Halibel found no one besides her own Fracciónes to feel connected to. Then, this human, a Keyblade wielder by the name Sora arrived.

Sora was powerful, noble, and courageous. He was also willing to use his power for good, putting his life on the line for others, even his friends. It seemed that no matter what, Sora would never allow himself to give up. Halibel could see why Lilynette and her Fracciónes admired him.

"So." Starrk said drawing everyone's attention. "You really consider us your friends huh."

"Yeah." Sora nodded.

Starrk thought for a minute, before turning to leave through the door. As the door opened, Starrk stopped, looking out in deep thought.

"A friend." Starrk mostly muttered to himself. While they couldn't see it, a small smile grew in his face. "That's…not too bad, after all."

Hearing that, Sora smiled while Lilynette had a huge grin.

* * *

In her prison cell, Kairi was shown, leaning against the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees. It had been a while since Aizen paid a visit to her and told her of Sora having been brought to Hueco Mundo because of her. Unfortunately, her friend no longer possessed any memory of their time together, causing him to slowly fall into Aizen's deception.

Kairi gulped at the thought of Sora being used as that man's pawn. She wanted so bad to get out of here, find Sora and get him away, but seeing that she was unable to use her Keyblade because of her cuff, she was stuck. The thought of her dear friend drifting further and further away from her, made Kairi upset to no end.

"Sora…I'm sorry?" Kairi whispered. "It's because of me that you ended up like this. It's all my fault." She placed a hand on her heart as she got even more depressed. The Princess of Heart felt helpless at the fact that she couldn't do anything her friend at all.

" _Come on Kairi. Do you really believe that?_ "

Kairi gasped as she stood up and looked all over for the voice that felt...familiar to her.

" _You won''t find me here._ " It said and suddenly, everything around Kairi suddenly flashed bright white as she was engulfed in it. A few seconds later, the red-haired girl found herself in a cloud-filled void. She looked around confused at what had happened and where she ended up in.

" _It's been a long time, Kairi._ "

Kairi turned around and gasped at the sight of the person behind here. It couldn't be possible.

The person was a girl, around her age with the same height and body structure. She had blue eyes, long, blond hair that drapes across her left shoulder, rosy cheeks, and pale, pink lips. Her attire was a simple white dress that reaches her mid-thighs in an embroidered lace pattern and light blue sandals decorated with yellow flowers.

She was Naminé.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark, cluttered up room with numerous selves, Szayelaporro was sitting at his desk with a table lamp on. He was placing several beakers on the self. One of which was filled with blood, the label on it reading Sora. The Eighth Espada smiled manically. Reflecting on what he had learned.

(Flashback)

A few hours ago, Aizen had walked into Szayelaporro's lab. He had come to inform him of the project he mentioned during the last Espada meeting. One he wanted him to do.

Aizen had told him a tale that he couldn't believe. One that left him with wide eyes and unable to speak. Of course, he shook off form his stupor as Aizen told him about the project he had wished from him to do.

" _So, Szayelaporro."_ Aizen said. _"Can it be done?"_

" _While a bit complex, I see no reason why it should fail."_ Szayelaporro admitted. _"However, I will need a sample from Sora. A hair, saliva, any form of DNA."_

Aizen removed a small pouch filled with blood from his robe. _"Would this work."_

The Eighth Espada looked at it with amazement. _"Lord Aizen, how did you…"_

" _It was a sample I took while the medics were treating his injuries."_ Aizen answered.

Szayelaporro smiled in glee. _"Then by all means, I estimate that I shall have it finished in a months' time."_

" _Excellent."_ Aizen said with a smile. _"I shall leave it all to you."_

The Eighth Espada bowed dramatically. _"It is an honor you would entrust may with this task. I swear to you that I will not fail. This will be my greatest work!"_

(Flashback ends)

And it will be. While he was surprised to hear a story such as that, he certainly couldn't imagen that it would all connect to Sora. But regardless, now that he had the sample, he was looking at a blueprint for some sort capsule pod with several gears and tubes connected. ( _ **A/N: Think of the machine use to turn Steve Rogers into Captain America from the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger".**_ )

When this device is finished, then Sora will truly be on their side. _Forever._

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: And that's another chapter done. Anyway, I certainly hoped you liked this chapter. I know the Bankai training was short but remember, it's only a training session, not a death match. Otherwise, Tōsen would have seriously injured or killed Sora the moment he activated it. The mission with Gantenbainne was a personal favorite of mine as he was my favorite among the Privaron Espada and I was annoyed that the manga forgot about him. I mean, he was said to have been still alive when they found him so why cut him off.**_ _ **Rest assured, I will include him in the later battles as well.**_

 _ **I didn't change much for Sora's second duel with Nnoitra, aside from returning the Synch Blade ability, which includes the Starlight Keyblade. I still plan to include his Formchange technique, however you'll have to wait for that. I will say that his two Keyblades will play a role in its return. Also, I decided to keep my OC, though**_ _ **her origins will be explained in another story.**_

 _ **Next Time: It's a day off for Sora. He decides to spend every minute of it with his friends. By getting them together to have a Struggle. Please review.**_


	9. A Day Off in Las Noches!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: I have reached the ninth chapter. This chapters gonna be more of a day off episode. Kinda like the one in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. This will be an enjoyable chapter I sure of it. Anyways, please read and enjoy. Also, I am the owner Bleach and Kingdom Hearts…**_

… _ **Just Kidding.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 9: "A Day Off in Las Noches! The Struggle Begins!"**_

The two girl stood silent for a moment, until the blonde haired girl smiled and said, "It's nice to see you again, Kairi."

"It's nice to see you to Naminé." Kairi said before asking. "Are you the one who brought me here?"

"Yes, remember I am still a part of your heart, so I was able to reach out to you." She revealed. "Of course, it did take an immense amount of concentration to reach out to you. I'm not sure how long it will last."

"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad to have someone to talk to." Kairi revealed. "Do you know where we are?"

Naminé pondered for a moment before saying, "I've determined that the world we're in may be in a separate dimension closed off from the outside worlds. For a while now, I've been resonating the light from your heart, but there's been little success."

"The light in my heart?" Kairi asked before gasping, "You mean the pure light I still carry."

The blonde girl nodded. "That's right. With it's power, I believe I can use it to resonate with my heart and communicate sent a signal for the replica that contains my data. However, I've only sent out a small signal. I just hope Ansem the Wise is able to determine our location."

Another thought came to the red-haired. "What about Sora? From what Aizen said, he's here and I'm sure you can communicate with him."

Kairi looked to see that Naminé's expression became downcast. This made her feel concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I've...been trying to make with Sora." Naminé confessed. "Unfortunately, all my attempts have ended in failure. It's as if some form of mental block is preventing me from reaching his heart."

"Then...you can't reach him." Kairi stammered lightly.

Naminé deeply sighed before bowing her head in shame. "I'm sorry Kairi."

"No, don't be. It's not your fault." Kairi said before sighing. "After all, I'm the reason Sora here in the first place. It's my fault."

"Don't say that." Naminé said, trying to reassure her. "If it's about what Aizen said…"

"He's right!" She declared. "I felt so helpless that Sora and Riku were always risking their lives to keep the worlds safe that I chose to wield the Keyblade to fight alongside them." Hanging her head low, she continued. "But, when our fight against the true Organization began, I couldn't defeat our enemies. I was helpless and Xehanort-"

"You shouldn't sell yourself short." Naminé said. "It's was only your first battle."

"And l couldn't do anything!" Kairi interrupted in frustration, surprising Naminé . "I've been training this for weeks and I wasn't able to make a difference in the fight!"

"Kairi…" Naminé was at a loss for words.

"Now, here I am waiting to be rescued. It just seems that no matter where I go, I'm always stuck being the damsel in distress. Only now Sora's in trouble and it's all my fault."

"Now, I feel like…I feel like…giving up!" The redhead started to sob as she fell to her knees, tears started to roll down on her face.

Naminé said nothing as Kairi cried. As she watched, she couldn't help but relate to her situation. When she was a prisoner at Castle Oblivion, she also felt helpless at inability to help Sora and blamed herself for helping them manipulate him the entire time. It was also the same with Roxas when she couldn't do anything to reveal the truth of his origins. At times, she too began questioning her ability to help the people she cares for and now, she could see that Kairi needed the same comforting.

So, she walked over to Kairi until she was in front of her. Then, before Kairi could react, she said grabbed her by the back and brought her to her chest.

"Naminé …what are you-" Kairi asked, but was interrupted.

"I understand how you feel Kairi." Naminé said. "I was also like you, when it came to Sora or Roxas being put in danger. At times I felt helpless, that I wasn't strong enough to be there for them. But then, I remember what Sora did?"

"Huh?" Kairi said, confused.

"Remember when you were captured by the Organization?" Naminé asked before she continued. "At first, Sora felt depressed but turned it around and went out of his way to find you, no matter what. It was all because of his strong heart and the strength of his friends that help lead Sora to you. That's when I learned that being strong isn't about how well you fight, but how strong your heart is."

"Yeah. You're right." Kairi said, starting to get what Naminé was trying to say.

"Then you shouldn't give up on him or yourself either. I know it's frustrating, but I'm sure as long as your heart remains strong then you can overcome this ordeal. You have to keep trying, until you're able to see Sora again. And I'm sure he hasn't given up either." Naminé finished with a smile.

After Naminé finished, Kairi gave a smile. Not a half or sad smile, but a genuine smile that she hadn't given since her time here. "Thank you, Naminé . You're right. I have to be strong like Sora, both in body and in heart."

Naminé nodded in encouragement. "That's the spirit."

"I just wish I knew how we could reach out to the others." Kairi questioned, thinking for several seconds until she had an idea. "Wait, you said that you were trying to resonate your heart with mines?"

She nodded. "I was. Since Roxas's heart responded to the data in the replica body, then if I did the same, Ansem the Wise and the others should also find the signal to our location."

"Which they'll use to find us." Kairi concluded. "Not only that, but when the replica is sent here, then your heart can join with it, giving you your own body."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Naminé said, remembering that Kairi and Sora vowed to make her and Roxas their own people. "But, like I said, the signal I gave was too weak. I'm not sure if my heart wasn't enough or if the data was incomplete."

"Then I'll help." Kairi said. "If I resonate my heart with your's, as one, then we might be able to make a strong signal."

"That just might work." The blonde concurred. "And when my body is sent over, I can help free from your cell. Then, we'll find Sora, together."

The red-haired girl smiled. Suddenly, the area started to become distorted. Both girl knew that this meant their time together was coming to an end.

"I have to go." The former Nobody said.

Kairi nodded. "Right. Thanks you so much, Naminé."

"You're welcome. I'm always happy to help." Naminé replied. After a second, the area vanished and Kairi woke up to see that she was back in her desolate cell once more. Gasping, Kairi placed her hand over to her heart. Closing her eyes, Kairi could feel the strong connection she still had with Naminé.

"Don't worry Naminé. I promise I'll get us out of here." Breathing deeply, Kairi crossed her legs and folded her hands on top of them. Now wasn't time to be sulking. All she needed to do now was channel the light she carried and call to her friends.

* * *

In Aizen's throne room, the ruler of Las Noches sat on his high throne as he waited for Sora, whom he had called to his chambers moments ago. As he waited, he started to recall certain events that transpired these past few days.

(Flashback)

Around the same time Sora was battling Nnoitra, Aizen was sitting in his throne room. By now Tōsen had returned, having retrieved Grimmjow from Karakura Town. However, during the battle with the Soul Reaper's stationed there, most likely sent by the Soul Society after Ulquiorra and Yammy's invasion, all of Grimmjow Fracciónes were wiped out.

Now, Tōsen and Grimmjow approached his throne, Aizen smiled as he looked down at them. He could see Grimmjow had a nasty burn wound on his torso that will certainly leave a scar.

" _Welcome back, Grimmjow._ " He said to Grimmjow. The Sixth Espada simply had his hands in his pockets and said nothing, not showing any sign of remorse for his actions at all.

Even without his eyes, Tōsen noticed Grimmjow's expression as well and frowned. " _Why so quiet?_ " He asked the Arrancar. " _Don't you have something to say Lord Aizen, Grimmjow?_ "

At first Grimmjow said nothing but then, his only reply was, " _Not really._ " he said with an uncaring tone.

" _What impudence._ " Tōsen hissed at him.

" _It's alright, Kaname._ " Aizen intervened, causing the former Soul Reaper and Espada to look up at him. " _The truth of the matter is I'm not really that upset."_

" _But Lord Aizen he…_ " Tōsen started to protest before Aizen cut him off.

" _I believe Grimmjow's actions were in attempt to please me but then got carried away._ " His eyes landed on said person. " _That's how I view this incident."_ He then narrowed his eyes at the Blue-Haired Espada and asked. _"Am I right, Grimmjow?_ "

Grimmjow scowled and narrowed his eyes. After which, he replied. " _Yes, My lord._ "

This wasn't enough, as Tōsen was very displeased by Grimmjow's actions, disrespect, and insolence. Now, Tōsen finally snapped and grabbed Grimmjow by his collar, forcefully. " _What the hell's your problem, Tōsen?_ " Grimmjow asked. Though, by the tone of his voice, he seemed ready to go toe-to-toe with the former Soul Reaper.

" _Lord Aizen, please!_ " he said pleadingly. " _Give me permission to execute this traitor!_ "

" _Kaname._ " Aizen said softly.

Grimmjow's face went from tranquil anger to a smug smirk. " _Nice try Tōsen. You always hated me. That's what this fuss is about isn't it. Is this any way for a director general to act Tōsen?_ "

" _I simply believe that anyone who disrupts the peace should simply have to pay for it._ " Tōsen told him. " _It's not personal._ "

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed again. " _You would kill me for insubordination?_ "

" _Yes. For the honor of Lord Aizen._ " came the curt reply.

Grimmjow sneered. " _Why am I not surprised. All you ever think about is the cause._ "

Tōsen's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. " _Of course. It guides my actions. Something of which you have no knowledge of. With no moral foundation for it, killing is nothing then murder._ "

Grimmjow frowned. He had no idea where Tōsen was going with the preaching he was giving.

" _But on the other hand._ " Tōsen began to draw his sword. " _Killing with a purpose…_ " Then, Tōsen proceeded to severed Grimmjow's left arm from the shoulder down. He had done it so fast that he no time to react. " _is justice._ "

Grimmjow screamed in pain as his arm fell to the floor. But Tōsen wasn't done yet. "Hado #54! Haien! _**Abolition Flame!**_ " He slashed the air with his sword, sending a purple blast of energy at Grimmjow's amputated arm, setting it on fire and reducing it to nothing but ash.

" _Damn!_ " Grimmjow screamed in both pain and anger. " _Damn! Damn! Damn it!_ " His yelled at Tōsen, feeling outraged at him. " _That's it, pal! You'll pay for what you just did!_ " He started to pull out his Zanpakutō with his remaining arm. " _I'll kill you!_ "

" _Grimmjow._ " Aizen said frowning, freezing the Sixth Espada in his tracks. " _Take a moment to think about your actions before you continue. I warn you, I'll be forced to reprimand you if you attack._ "

Grimmjow was seething. Tōsen had robbed him of a limb, and possibly his rank, and now he was about to get away with it. But he was smart enough to realize that there was no way of winning this situation. With no other choice, Grimmjow reluctantly stormed out of the throne room.

* * *

After everyone left, Aizen was making his way down the flight of stairs to the lower levels of Las Noches.

" _That was cruel. Playing your men against each other like that._ " A playful voice asked as Aizen turned around a corner.

Aizen just smiled at the voice. " _Were you spying, Gin…?_ "

Sure enough, Gin was leaning against the wall with a smile. " _as usual_."

" _You knew Kaname would react like that?_ " Gin said in amusement. " _He's such a boy's scout, wouldn't you agree?_ "

Aizen said nothing as he walked passed him.

" _I suspect you encourage that side of him._ " Gin said.

Aizen stopped as he stared out the balcony. " _Perhaps._ " Was all Aizen said.

" _We lost five Arrancar in that operation._ " Gin added, though by the sound of his voice, he didn't seem to have been bothered by their loss at all.

" _It doesn't matter._ " Aizen reassured him. " _The ones that were destroyed were the lowest of the Gillians. My plans haven't been the least affected._ "

" _Do you still plan on gathering the Vasto Lordes?_ " Gin inquired. " _Like the one Halibel, her Fracciónes, and Sora-boy ran into the other day._ "

" _I have given it some thought._ " Aizen responded. " _But, I have decided to belay that search because,_ " Aizen's smile grew ever so slightly. " _I have decided to focus more on the recruit I already have._ "

" _Ah, I see!_ " Gin said in realization. " _So, you're gonna spend more time on Sora-boy than trying to find more Vasto Lordes._ "

" _Yes, after all, Sora has proven to be a more valuable ally and observing his growth up front would be a great benefit_." Aizen replied. " _Though I must be careful. Sora may be brash, simple-minded, and displays a naïve sense of morality, but he has shown to be undoubtedly intelligent. Just a few days ago, I could sense that he already has a growing suspicion of me in his voice. As of now, his memories haven't returned to the point of him trying to find out of what my true motives are._ "

 _"And what of that girlfriend of his."_ Gin said. " _Aren't you afraid that she might end up breaking free. And if Sora-boy finds out then no doubt he'll try to kill you._ "

Aizen merely chuckled at the thought. " _I welcome him to try. However, the girl is still vital to keeping his presence bound in Hueco Mundo. Not to mention she will be the key to attracting the other Keyblade Wielders_."

" _Ah yes, those Guardians of Light._ " Gin realized. " _That way, if things don't work out with Sora-boy, then you have seven more to chose from."_

" _That is true, however, it is only appropriate that Sora is the one to fulfill his role._ " Aizen said.

 _"You know, I'm surprised._ " Gin said. " _Not once have you tried to use Kyōka Suigetsu on him. Now, why is that?_ "

" _It's for the same reason I haven't used it on Ichigo Kurosaki._ " Aizen replied. " _In order for my ambitions to be realized, those two must continue to grow._ "

Gin snapped his fingers. " _So that's how it is. You think those two boys will be an actual challenge for you. Well, aside for the Ryoka boy, I admit that Sora does keep getting stronger by the minute._ "

" _Yes, you're right about that._ " Aizen mused. " _Supposedly a dull, ordinary boy yet not even he is aware of what truly lies deep within his heart. One that has been with him long before he sheltered the other._ " He said to no one in particular.

Gin chuckled. " _I bet not even that_ _ **old coot**_ _had any idea about that._ "

" _If he had, he would've taken more elaborate measure with his plans. However, it's pointless to talk about the dead. Right now, I need to focus on keeping Sora distracted while preparing for the upcoming war with the Soul Society._ " Aizen said.

" _How do you plan on doing that?_ " Gin asked, truly curious to know what his leader had in mind.

Aizen's smile grew slightly. " _I have noticed that he seems to have grown fond of Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel and her group. I have also noticed that he has been working too hard with his training and missions. Perhaps, I believe he has earned himself a day off_."

Gin chuckled. " _I see, Captain Aizen. You're trying to get them to become all buddy-buddy with each other._ "

" _I am merely giving him a day off. He is free to do whatever he please. Even if it means them spending time together._ " Aizen said in a tone that suggested otherwise. " _But first, I need to find someone who can take Grimmjow's place among the Espada._ "

" _I do believe Luppi has been in-line for a position._ " Gin said offhandedly.

" _Luppi?_ " Aizen remembered that he was one of the Números that were available in case a position for the Espada were opened. While his skills were…adequate compared to even a Privaron Espada, his Spirit Energy was high enough to even overpower a Lieutenant Level Soul Reaper.

" _Very well,_ " Aizen said. " _I will summon him here tomorrow so he can receive his mark. Do feel free to notify him._ "

Gin nodded and left. Though not before turning to his leader one more time. " _By the way, I noticed you were at Szayelaporro's lab earlier today. Did you ask him about_ _ **it**_ _?_ "

" _I did?_ " Aizen informed. " _He said it will take some time. Hopefully, he will have it finished within a month's time. I also have to make sure Sora is unaware of that as well._ "

Gin let out a mock sigh. " _Quite a shame really. I was actually starting to like_ _**this side**_ _of Sora_." He said before walking out, leaving Aizen to muse in his thoughts.

* * *

(Flashback ends)

Right now, Aizen sat on top his throne, thinking about the recent events that have transpired the last two weeks. Right now, the Hollow within Ichigo Kurosaki should be fighting for dominance. This will mean that he will have no choice but to seek help to control it. No doubt he will be receiving aid from _them_. However, there was another person who's potential he was monitoring closely. The Keyblade's chosen wielder, Sora.

About four days have passed since his battle with Nnoitra. And of course, everyone within Las Noches have heard of it by now. That Sora fought Nnoitra to the point he nearly pushed him to using his Resurrección. This certainly caused more opinion of him to grow by the other Arrancars. Others, whom Nnoitra has tormented for many years, thanked him personally for roughing up the Fifth Espada. Others wanted to fight him head on, as a simple challenge, nothing personal. Even Luppi wished to test his strength against Sora but one word from Aizen and Starrk silenced all challengers.

Normally, Grimmjow would have jumped for a chance to challenge Sora but since losing his arm, he has become more withdrawn, solemn, and quick to anger.

Then there was Kairi. For now, he had been monitoring her and so far nothing out of the ordinary was happening in her cell. Though some small glitches appeared on the monitor, he gave it no importance cause of the faulty equipment. Besides, he had more important matters to attend.

By now, Sora has arrived in Aizen's throne room, having received word that he wanted to speak with him. Sora walked up to see Aizen.

"Good morning Sora." He said. "I trust you slept well."

"Never better." Sora said while stretching his arm. "So, what do you need me for? Another mission or is it time for my training with Tōsen?"

Aizen gave a small laugh as he replied. "Actually Sora, you won't be doing anything today."

Sora looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I have decided to give you a day off." Aizen replied.

Sora blinked his eyes several times, wanting to be sure if he heard that right. "A day off! Not that I don't mind but why?

"You have been training and working a lot since your arrival. I feel that you need to take this time to rest." He merely stated.

"A day off?" Sora repeated. He wasn't really affected by this. if anything, he looked relieved that he got the day to himself. "Yes, Aizen. You're right. I do need to rest. And I think you need to rest too."

"Then by all means, please feel free to enjoy yourself." Aizen said.

"Alright then. Thank you, Aizen. See you, tomorrow." Sora said. With that, he left.

* * *

"So, what did Lord Aizen want?" Lilynette asked, Sora having returned to their room. Starrk was laying down, as usual, but he was also curious as well.

"Aizen decided to give me a day off." Sora replied.

Starrk and Lilynette were at first confused until Lilynette cried. "Wait! He said he'd give you a day off!?"

Sora nodded.

"That's weird." Starrk said. "You may not notice but all Arrancars here are technically on active duty, even if we're just doing nothing. Lord Aizen hardly ever gives days off."

"Well, he said that I've been working a lot lately that I need a day to rest." Sora responded.

Lilynette pondered. "That does make since. After all, you are only human."

"Yeah and besides didn't you say that he was working me a bit too much." Sora said causing Lilynette to chuckle sheepishly.

"Well, whatever the reason, you got yourself a free day to do anything." Starrk said.

"Yeah, well…" Sora started to think about his options. "The thing is…I don't really know what to do here." Sora then looked at them. "Tell me, what would you guys do on your day off?"

The two Arrancars thought for a second before the First Espada replied, "Sleep. And when I'm done, sleep some more."

This earned him a sandal slap from Lilynette. "You're already doing that you lazy ass. Try to think of something more active." She said as she continued whacking him.

The little girl Arrancar stopped as she looked at him. "Me. Well, what I like to do is mess with Starrk while he sleeps."

"Don't you always do that." He muttered, though Lilynette heard and slammed her foot on his face.

Sora laughed. He had to admit, the way these two argued was better than the entertainment he got back home. Of course, this didn't help him figure out what he was wanted to do. There was nothing to do here in Hueco Mundo. It's no wonder the only game they thought was Eternal Tag. Eternal Tag.

Suddenly, Sora's eyes widen as he remembered a certain younger Arrancar that he promised to play with if he had the time. Now, he had all the time to do what he wanted and he decided to fulfill his promise. With that, Sora walked out to leave.

The others however noticed. "Hey, where are you going?" Lilynette asked.

Sora flinched. He didn't want to tell them about Nel and the others but had to give them an answer. "Oh…well, I'm just going for…a walk. That's right." He said hoping they would buy that.

The two looked unsure. "Are you sure that's smart." Starrk asked. "You know a lot of Arrancars are out to get you for challenges."

"Hey don't worry." Sora reassured. "I won't be far off. Besides, I can look after myself."

Lilynette wasn't convinced. "Want me to go with you."

"No." Sora hastily replied, much to their surprised. "I mean…it's my day off so I thought I use this chance to be on my own for a bit."

Starrk and Lilynette sighed before the former replied. "Fine go on."

Sora smiled before nodding. "Right be back soon." He then left.

When he did, Lilynette crossed her arms and glared at the door. "He's hiding something."

"Yeah, he's not fooling anybody." Starrk agreed before lying down. "But he's entitled to his own secrets."

"Don't you care!" She sharply asked. "That means he doesn't fully trust us! And I thought we were his friends!"

"Well…" Starrk was lost with his words before continuing. "We aren't exactly being honest with him either."

Lilynette was about to argue before realizing he's right. They were keeping things from Sora. Bigger ones like Ichigo Kurosaki, Ulquiorra and Yammy's mission, and let's not forget their _true_ reason for attacking Karakura Town. Also, she realized that this whole time they had not told Sora about their true origins. Even though they were ordered to leave him in the dark, Lilynette still felt bad for lying to her new friend. But Aizen did say that he would do something to guarantee Sora's allegiance to them. So, maybe when he did that then they could be able to be friends and tell each other everything.

* * *

Outside Las Noches, in the desert of Hueco Mundo, Nel was sitting on the ground, staring at Las Noches from the distance. Pesche, Dondochakka, and Bawabawa watched her.

"Come on, Nel." Pesche said. "It's been four days. I don't think he'll be coming today."

"No, he said he would be here." Nel said stubbornly. "Zola promised he would come here and play with us."

"Oh, Nel." Dondochakka gently said. "He does live in Las Noches. Maybe Lord Aizen has him working all the time. Know what I'm sayin'."

"Truth is Nel, he probably won't be coming. He…" Pesche tried to reassure her but was interrupted.

"He's here!" Nel suddenly shouted. "Zola's here!" She began jumping up and down while pointing straight ahead.

Pesche and Dondochakka looked where to the direction Nel was pointing to. They could see a small figure that was walking straight towards them. After getting closer, the trio could see that it was Sora coming here after all.

"Zola!" Nel squealed happily, running up to him. "Nel knew you would come back. Nel knew you would."

Sora chuckled as rubbed her head. "Of course." He said, "I promised that I would come back, didn't I?"

Sora looked to see Pesche and Dondochakka coming "Hey guys."

"Hey, Sora!" They both cheered.

"See, Nel told you Zola would come. But they didn't believe, Nel." She said as her brothers chuckled sheepishly.

Nel nodded happily. "But now, Nel and Zola can play together."

"That's right, Nel." Pesche said "Now, we can all play Eternal Tag together."

Sora grinned. "Sure, I'd like to play that game for a while."

Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka all cheered. Happy that Sora was going to play with them.

Nel smiled and turned to Sora. "First rule of Eternal Tag is…"

Suddenly, she jumped up and slammed her hand on Sora's chest. She and her brothers started running away. "YOU'RE IT!"

Sora looked confused before realizing he had been tricked. "HEY!"

"Run Sora's trying to tag us!" Pesche yelled.

"You can't run from me forever!" Sora shouted as he gave chase to the group. The three then split up and ran in separate directions. Instead of crying as usual, Nel found herself laughing as she saw Sora closing in on them. While doing so, he was making monster noises for effect, the same Pescha and Dondochakka usually do. Sora then jumped and lunged forward at Nel, however, she was able to duck in time. he noticed Peshce close by and made for him, only to trip over a rock and fall flat on the ground. As they kept playing, Sora could have easily tag them, but he figured he at least dull it down, just to make Nel happy. Seeing that it was working, he turned back and noticed all three of them were regrouping.

"Look out!" Dondochakka cried. "He's coming back."

"Run away!" Nel cried happily.

"Split up!" Pesche shouted, however, he and Dondochakka comically slammed in on each other. Nel started running again, with Sora in pursuit. He made to grab Nel but she dove into the sand causing Sora to fall on Pesche and Dondochakka.

Sora smiled, knowing what this meant. "You're out." Both of them groaned in disappointment. Nel laughed as she was watching. "Yay! But Zola still can't catch me!" She got up and started running in another direction, Sora following.

"This is fun!" Nel cried happily.

With that, Eternal Tag continued for another Half Hour. Although Sora had plenty of chances to tag Nel and her family, who had re-entered the game, he noticed how much fun they were having and decided to keep playing along. But soon, Sora found himself getting worn out. Though surprisingly, Nel and her brothers were still going at it. Most likely having too much fun to care.

"Man, no wonder this game is called Eternal Tag." Sora muttered. He decided to stop and rest for a while to catch his breath.

"Aw." Nel whined. "Zola, why'd you stop?"

"Just trying to catch my breath," Sora told her between pants.

"Aw, come on, Zola." Nel said. "Nel's having so much fun!"

"That's true." Pesche agreed. "Eternal Tag may look boring but it's a lot more fun when you're playing with friends."

"Yeah, you're right." Sora said, remembering when he first heard that line. "Well, now that I'm rested up, let's keep going."

"Yes. You're it again." Nel said but Sora raised his hand before they could keep going. "Hold on a second. Eternal Tag is fun, but I have an idea to make it better." He added with a grin.

Nel's eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

Sora nodded and summoned his Keyblade. "I'm gonna add a bit of ice magic to make the game more interesting."

Nel smiled happily. "Ice?"

"Ice" Sora said. "For our first game of Freeze Tag."

Everyone got in closer as Sora explained the rules. "Now here's the rules. You guys are gonna run and I'll try to catch you. Only difference is that if I touch you with my ice, then you'll have to pretend to be frozen till all three of you are caught."

"Hey." Pesche commented. "That actually sounds a lot more fun than our regular game of Eternal Tag. How come we didn't think of that?"

"Pesche, don't cha know we can't do magic." Dondochakka said.

Sora chuckled. You didn't really need magic but he thought it'd be a good way to make it more fun.

Nel smiled and clapped happily. "C'mon let's play!" She squealed in delight.

"Okay now," Sora said. "Go!"

Nel's face lit up as she and her brothers ran away from Sora again. Of course, one issue was that there were hardly any places around here to hide from Sora and his ice. Sora knew that and purposely missed his shots so the game would continue going. The game continued for an hour until Sora decided to get serious. He spotted Pesche trying to hide under the rock but never got to as Sora hit his foot with a little ice mist. Pesche was surprised and disappointed he was out but pretend to be frozen as the game implies. Dondochakka was trying to hide with Bawabawa, hoping Sora would least suspect it. But only to find out he was wrong when Sora came and zapped both him and Bawabawa with an ice mist, causing them to pretend to freeze.

If there was one thing Sora knew, it was about having fun. By now, he spotted Nel trying to run to her frozen brothers. Just when it seemed she was safe, Sora came and tackled her to the ground. This meant she was out and Sora was the winner in this new game of Freeze Tag. Nel wasn't really bothered by this as she grew to love every moment of this game and the part where Sora jumped at her, even when he didn't have to. Sora made Eternal Tag fun again!

Once they done were, Sora decided to play a different game all together. Back home, when he and his friends were little, they would often play pirates. He was obviously the captain while Riku would be the enemy captain. And the goal of the game was to capture the enemy's ship by taking their flag. He thought this would be a great game Nel would love. While there wasn't a body of water, Sora pretended that the sand would be their ocean. He then decided that Bawabawa would be the pirate ship. He and Nel were the first pirate team while Pesche and Dondochakka were the enemy team. For this game, Sora decided to let Nel be the captain, much to her excitement. Her first order was for Sora to let her ride on top of him. He relented and thus the game began with everyone trying to use their wits to steal each of the enemy flag. It was then that Nel ordered Bawabawa to move, which he did and destroyed their flags, leaving no winner for this game. But they didn't care, Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka were laughing in excitement. Even Sora couldn't help but smile. He hadn't played this game since he was a kid, it certainly felt nice reliving old things.

After playing for who knows how long, everyone finally got tired and stopped to rest. While they were relaxing, Sora decided to tell them so things about himself.

"Whoa! So, you're actually from another world." Pesche said in amazement.

Sora nodded. "Yep. That's right."

"Could you tell us about it Zola." Nel asked, climbing on top his head.

Sora smiled and nodded. "Well, I was born in a world called the Destiny Island. A group of islands mainly surrounded by ocean. I had a lot of friends growing up there and we would always play on this island till it was night."

"Wow, Sora." Dondochakka said. "Your island sounds like fun. Especially, with those great games you played, know what I'm talkin' about?"

"Yeah." Pesche nodded. "And thanks to you, we've got new games to play."

Nel climbed down of Sora's head and rested on his lap. "Nel's happy to have met Zola."

Sora smiled down but looked at the cracked skull mask on her head. He recalled Aizen saying that when Hollows become Arrancar, they retain a fragment of their mask when it shatters. He couldn't help but wonder why her mask looked different compared to the others. And why was that crack running through it?

"Hey, Nel?" Sora asked. "Why is that mask on your head cracked?"

Instantly Pesche and Dondochakka both froze as Nel pouted her lips and went into thought. She then placed both hands on top her mask. "I don't know. Wasn't it always like this?" She asked, more to herself than Sora.

Sora was amazed that she didn't know but then remembered that she doesn't remember anything. The only people to provide a better answer would have to be Pesche and Dondochakka, provided that her mask was intact when she met them.

Nel frowned as she thought more about the matter. "Sorry, Zola. Nel doesn't know."

"It's no problem," Sora reassured her. But then, he noticed that Pesche and Dondochakka were looking rather nervous all of a sudden. It was the same reaction they had when he offered to take them to Las Noches or when Nel revealed she didn't remember anything. Sora raised an eyebrow at them. What could they possibly be hiding. He then looked down as he noticed Nel had drifted off into a blissful slumber.

Smiling, Sora slowly got up and carried Nel in his arms. He slowly walked over to Pesche and Dondochakka so he wouldn't wake her up. Pesche immediately held out his hands for Sora to place Nel, which he immediately handed over.

Sora couldn't help but wonder how long was he gone. He promised he would be back soon but more than three hours should have passed by now. "Well," Sora said. "I better get going now. Tell Nel that I'll be back soon. See you guys later." He started to head back to Las Noches.

"Hey Sora." Pesche said. "Wait."

Sora stopped and turned to look at Pesche. "What's going on?"

Pesche seemed nervous or reluctant to do something. He looked at Dondochakka, who nodded. taking a deep breath, Pesche handed Nel to him and walked over to Sora.

"Sora." Pesche said. "The truth is…we used to live in Las Noches too."

Sora's eyes widened. They lived in Las Noches!

"It was many years ago. But one day, another Arrancar came and attacked Nel and badly wounded her. That crack on her skull came from _his_ attack. And that's also the reason why she can't remember anything."

Sora's eyes narrowed after hearing. "Who did it?" he asked, his anger rising.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Pesche said sadly. "I doubt he's even there. All I'm saying is for you to be careful in there and watch your back because Nel's really happy to have met you and if anything happened to you, she'd be devastated."

Sora looked over at the peaceful sleeping Nel. She was so nice and kind. It made him want to find whoever did that to her and beat him up. Of course, he couldn't dwell on things from the past.

"That's also why we can't go back to Las Noches." Dondochakka said. "Everything we've done was to keep Nel safe, know what I'm sayin'?"

Sora could see that they genuinely care for Nel and wanted to keep her safe. It was probably for the best that they don't return to Las Noches after all. He smiled softly. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about you guys. You have my word." He said. The two nodded gratefully at him. With that done, he made his way to Las Noches. He only stopped once to look back, seeing Pesche and Dondochakka waving at him. He waved back at them, then smiled when he saw Nel, waving at him in her sleep. Then, he headed back to Las Noches.

* * *

As Sora neared the entrance of Las Noches, he looked up to see someone standing near it. Surprisingly, it was Halibel.

He didn't know why she was there but hopefully she didn't see him with Nel and the others. He casually walked passed her hoping not to draw suspicion.

"Hey, Halibel." Sora waved nervously. "How's it going."

Halibel cleared her throat, freezing Sora in his tracks. She then looked at Sora. "Who were they, Sora?"

Oh, great. She did see them. But Sora was also feeling confused. He had expected Halibel to yell or lecture him.

"I saw you leaving Las Noches so I chose to follow you. Afterwards, I saw you playing with three Arrancars and a strange Hollow. I admit that your ability to make allies from just about anyone, even the unlikeliest of people never ceases to amaze me, Sora." She stated before turning serious. "So, I'll ask again, who are they?"

Sora had promised that he wouldn't tell anyone about them to Pesche and Dondochakka. And now it was like he was betraying their trust. But he did know that he could trust Halibel.

"Their names are Nel, Pesche, Dondochakka, and the worm Hollow is their pet, Bawabawa. I met them while they were playing a game of Eternal Tag and I promised to play with them today."

Halibel raised an eyebrow. Nel? For some reason, that name sounded so…familiar to her.

"It seems you are getting along with them quite nicely." she stated.

Sora grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Then he got serious and looked at Halibel with a pleading expression. "Halibel, can you do me a favor and please don't tell anyone about this."

Halibel looked at him for a moment, before replying. "If you wish to keep this a secret for the time being." Halibel continued. "Then you can count on me not to say a word."

Sora looked up and smiled at Halibel. "Seriously?" Halibel nodded. "Thanks, Halibel. You're the best."

Halibel couldn't help but let out a small laugh, one she had never really done in her life. Sora truly was unique. She recalled Sung-Sun once telling her that Sora had this aura around him that made people want to believe in him and have hope in him. Lilynette even said that his aura was so bright and warm that made him very fun to be around and that in turn made her feel happy. Those words made Halibel think of all the things that Sora had done ever since he first came to Hueco Mundo. Slaying several Hollows, defeating Runuganga and storming into Las Noches, battling Adujchas and Vasto Lorde, and even challenged, fought, and held his own against the Fifth Espada.

Even his previous endeavors made them respect Sora. Sora would step in and risk his life to protect people he didn't even know, for no reason other than to help them. He would also go to extreme length for his friends, even though one of them tried to kill him. Normally, those in Hueco Mundo would consider such a thing foolish and a weakness. While Halibel admitted that she found it unusual to help complete strangers, like how Sora feels for his friends, she too has a bond with her Fracciónes and would do anything to keep them safe.

* * *

Sora and Halibel were walking down the corridors of Las Noches. They were going nowhere in particular. They were just simply taking a walk, with Sora telling her about what Aizen told her.

"I see." Halibel said. "Lord Aizen has decided to grant you a day off."

"Yeah. I didn't really know what I wanted to do on my break but when I went to play with Nel and the others, I finally realized what I enjoyed doing." Sora said.

"And what would that be?" The Third Espada asked curiously.

Sora smiled as he ran in front of her. "Playing with my friends. I've been gone for so long that I almost forgot having fun with my friends was one of the best times I've had."

Sora looked deep in thought. When Halibel was about to ask, Sora's head perked up. "I have an idea. Since we're friends now, how about we all hang out together. You, me, and the others."

"Hang out?" Halibel asked, confused.

"Yeah." Sora said. "I just remembered a game we can play. Though you and Starrk don't have to play if you want but you can watch and see how it's done."

Halibel was surprised by this offer but took it into consideration. "I…perhaps…I don't see any harm that would bring."

Sora took that as a yes. "Great!" Sora turned to walk away. "I'll go get Starrk and Lilynette. You can bring the other girls and we'll meet at the bottom of your palace." Before leaving, Sora also said, "Oh and could you also bring a few practice swords along?"

Halibel nodded in compliment. Sora smiled and ran off, leaving Halibel to her thoughts. She certainly didn't expect to get roped into whatever Sora had planned. Or to even agree to it in the first place. Nevertheless, she shook her thoughts off and went back to get her Fracciónes.

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Sora barraged in. Starrk shot up from his cot while Lilynette turned to the door, confused at Sora's sudden intrusion.

"You're back." Starrk muttered.

"Where have you been?" Lilynette demanded. "We've been worried sick."

"Sorry, I lost track of time." Sora apologized. "Anyways, I want you guys to follow me."

"For what?" Starrk asked.

"We're gonna have some fun." Sora declared.

Starrk and Lilynette blinked repeatedly over what they just heard. "Have some fun." The latter parroted.

Sora nodded. "I'm gonna introduce you two to a game I remembered. I also invited Halibel. She already bringing Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun."

He was able to convince Halibel to join him in whatever he was planning. "What kind of game?" Lilynette asked, growing interested.

"I'll show you when we get there." Sora said. "If you guys don't mind."

The two Arrancars deliberated, until the younger one stood up. "I'll go. It beats staying here doing nothing."

Sora smiled and looked over at Starrk. "If you want, you can stay around with Halibel in the sidelines." He offered.

Starrk thought about it for a moment before sighing. "What have I got to lose." He stood up. "I right fine, I'll go along."

"Alright then, let's go." Sora turned to leave, the others following him.

* * *

After a few minutes, Sora, Starrk, and Lilynette arrived at the base of Halibel's palace, where she and her Fracciónes were waiting. Halibel was also carrying a bag of a dozen wooden swords behind her. They looked up and noticed the three coming near them.

"You guys made it." Sora said.

"Master Halibel said you wished for us to be here." Sung-Sun stated.

"Not that we don't mind or anything but why did you ask for us to be brought out here?" Mila Rose asked. The others were curious to.

Sora cleared his throat before explaining. "Well, you guys know about my day off right." The others nodded, wondering what that had to do with anything. "I kept thinking about what was it that I wanted to do but then I remembered that what I like the most is having fun with my friends."

"Where are you going with this." Apacci asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I decided that we should all play a game together and have fun." Sora said.

The Fracciónes looked bewildered at Sora's declaration, while the others had already known of Sora's intentions.

"Have…fun." Apacci said, baffled.

"Yeah, I figured after everything that happened these last couple of days we can use some time to relax." Sora said.

He did have a point there. But still…

"I don't know." Mila Rose admitted. "We've never done something like this before."

"The most we ever did besides fighting was trying to stay alive." Sung-Sun said.

"Come on you three." Lilynette lightly snapped. "Sora's going outta his way to help us have fun. You could at least pretend to be gratefully."

Apacci gritted her teeth. "Who's said we weren't…"

"Girls." Everyone looked over at Halibel, who had her arms crossed. "I understand your reluctance. However, I see no harm in engaging in new activities. Who knows, you may even learn to enjoy yourselves."

The girls were still unsure but decided to go along if their master was sure.

"Well…I guess we can give it a try." Mila Rose spoke for all of them, much to Sora's delight.

"So, what do you have in mind?" Sung-Sung asked.

Sora grinned. "Glad you asked. The game we're gonna play is…Struggle!"

Of course, everyone that was present had no idea what he meant.

"A Struggle?" Starrk repeated.

"What kinda game is that?" Lilynette asked.

"Its kind of like a simple fighting competition. In this world, _Twilight Town_ , the people there play this game with these tools called, " _Struggle Bats._ " Sora explained.

"Twilight Town." Starrk recalled Sora mentioning that world in his last story. "So, that games not from your world?"

Sora shook his head. "No. Let's just say it came with my most recent ability."

The others couldn't help but wonder what he meant. Regardless, they decided to continue asking about the game.

"So, how do you play?" Apacci asked.

"The game Struggle usually consists of a few rules" Sora explained. "They're really simple. Each participant starts with a hundred colored orbs. Every time one of the participants is hit, they'll drop a colored orb, both orbs in different colors for each person. They also have to collect the opponents' orbs within the time limit, which will increase their score. But the opponent can also regain their orbs by simply picking them up."

The sounded simple enough. And, though they didn't show it, this game sounded a lot intriguing.

Lilynette noticed something. "Wait a seconded. We don't have any Struggle bats. We don't even have orbs."

Halibel then realized why Sora wanted her to bring practice swords. "I see, you intend to use these wooden ones as replacement."

Sora nodded in confirmation.

"But what about the orbs?" Starrk brought up.

Sora grinned as another thought came to mind. "Well, since we don't have any of those, I thought I add a twist to it."

Suddenly, Sora summoned his Keyblade and walked a few feet away from them. When he got far enough, Sora began dragging his Keyblade around the sand, tracing a circle that was approximately twenty-five feet wide. When he was done, Sora put his Keyblade away.

He turned around and began explaining. "Instead of using orbs, while settle this with an elimination. Basically, we use those practice swords to knock each other around and push each other outta the ring."

"And the last person standing is the winner." Halibel finished, understanding the rules.

The Keybearer nodded before looking at the others. "So, want to try it out?"

After a short thought, they conceded.

"I guess we can try." Sung-Sun said.

"Yeah, why not." Apacci shrugged. "This game sounds interesting."

"Besides, this would be a good way to test our skills against you." Mila Rose pointed out.

"I'm in!" Lilynette cheered.

"Great. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll laying down over there." Starrk said, walking over to the nearby rocks.

Lilynette scowled. "Come on Starrk, you're not gonna join in on the fun!?"

"Sora said I could just watch." Starrk countered. "Besides, I'm too old for that stuff anyways."

Lilynette growled and would've attacked him, had Halibel not interfered. "I shall join him. You go and enjoy yourself."

Lilynette huffed and walked over to the ring with the others. When they got in, everyone went and grabbed some of the wooden swords. Apacci however, grabbed two boomerangs that were also in there, befitting her fighting style. With that, everyone began spreading out.

"Alright! Let me remind you that for this game, you either win if you knock your opponent off the ring or if they surrender!" Sora called out.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it!" Lilynette called.

"Alright then!" Sora got into his fighting stance. "Let's Struggle!"

They took that as the starting signal. Obviously, Apacci made the first move and used Sonido to appear before the spiky-haired boy and with her boomerangs ready. Sora quickly sidestepped and used his wooden sword to knock Apacci back a few times. Before falling to the ground, Apacci used her hands to flip away and threw both of her boomerangs at Sora.

"C'mon Sora," Apacci called. "Let's see you dodge this!"

Sora managed to duck under the first one while the second one hit him in the shoulder. While it didn't leave a significant injury, it still hurt.

"Man, that sure stung." Sora commented, rubbing his shoulder.

Mila Rose both laughed and sighed. She knew Apacci long enough to know that she wanted to hog this match for herself. On the other hand, she kind of wanted to see her get smacked around by Sora.

"Get ready. Here I come!" Sora declared.

Apacci smirked. "That's more like it!"

Sora slammed his wooden sword down but Apacci jumped back to dodge it. Afterwards, Sora charged and dealt several strikes that Apacci tried to block with her boomerangs, only she was starting to feel overwhelmed.

Sora noticed a blind spot on Apacci's body. Seizing the opportunity, he used his left arm to disarm her, afterwards he then dealt a swift blow on her stomach. She flew across the area only to stop before barely falling off the ring.

"You okay?" Sora asked.

Apacci snarled. "Shut up! That was a cheap shot!" Her anger soon flared as Mila Rose was laughing up a storm.

"Nice one, Sora." She laughed. "You don't know how long I wanted to do that!"

In retaliation, Apacci threw one of her boomerang at Mila Rose's face. This caused her to fall on her backside, where she got sand all over her.

"Ha!" Apacci taunted. "That's what you get for laughin' at me, Mila Rose."

"That's it!" Mila Rose said sitting up, taking out her wooden sword. "You're toast!"

Mila Rose lunged at her teammate, knocking her to the ground, Apacci pulling her along with her. With that, the two got into a form of dust cloud fight that you'd normally see in a cartoon.

Lilynette was getting a kick seeing them wrestle around the ground. "Man, this is fun!"

Sora scratched his head in confusion. "Should…we do something to stop them?"

"Leave them be." Sung-Sun reassured. "If we're lucky, they'll knock themselves out."

Sora looked back to see them trying to pull out each other's hair, while also baring their fangs and glaring hatefully at one another.

Having enough, Sora sighed. "Alright, knock it off you guys. Can you go five seconds without fighting each other?"

"We got along when we had someone to fight against." Sung-Sun pointed.

"I guess that's true." Sora chuckled.

Seeing that it wasn't working, Sora decided to intervene by taking his wooden sword and maybe instigate them to fight him. However, unknown to him, Lilynette came up with another idea and crept behind him. The other girls noticed her but she shushed them, telling them to be quiet. It was then they got the idea of what she was up to.

They decided to play along with her.

"You're so dead Apacci!" Mila Rose threatened.

"I'd like to see you try, you gorilla!" Apacci shot back.

"That's enough you two! Give it a rest." Sora groaned as he got between them.

Suddenly, Lilynette latched herself onto his back, causing him to wobble back and forth.

"What the!" Sora cried out.

"Now!" Lilynette signaled to the other girls.

Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun all threw their weapons at Sora, knocking him down while Lilynette hopped off. Not expecting such a move, Sora fell back. They weren't done yet, though. Sora just happened to have been knocked over next to the edge of the ring. Mila Rose and Apacci grabbed Sora and made their way to push him off the ring. Not going to let himself lose like this, Sora stomped his feet to the ground, using every ounce of his strength to prevent them from moving him further.

The two tried to push him but he wouldn't budge. Suddenly, Sora felt Apacci's grip on him loosen. Taking advantage of that, Sora lifted his arm with Apacci still attached and threw her off the ring. Mila Rose was to stun to notice that Sora sweeping her feet and using his free hand to push out of the ring as well. Sung-Sun made to attack but was short lived when she failed to notice that Lilynette tackled her off the ring, meaning she was out of the game.

Lilynette sneered. "Survival of the fittest."

"You can say that again." She froze when she realized Sora was behind her.

Lilynette gulped, "Uh…hi." She said weakly.

As the three were getting up, they turned to see Lilynette thrown next to them. Seeing her caused Sung-Sun to frown, not having forgotten about her stunt earlier. Her thoughts were interrupted when Sora raised his sword up high.

"I'm the champ!" he declared.

"Yeah, Yeah, you win!" Apacci shot back. "Best two-out of-three!"

"You wanna go for another game huh." Sora said. "Alright, you're on!"

So, this altered Struggle game went on for hours. Sora would end up fighting Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun individually. Sometimes he would win, other times he would threw the fight so they could win and feel good. When he would fight Lilynette, they'd share a laugh. This reminded them of the time they sparred together. As they played, Sora gave her some pointers so she could improve. While it seemed, she lacked any sword training, she made up for it with her agility and hotheadedness.

"You know Sora." She said as they went blow for blow, "This Struggle game was a good idea. Glad you thought of it."

Sora smiled. "Thanks, Lilynette. I'm glad you guys liked…"

His response was cut short when Lilynette whacked him in the arm. "Ha, ha, ha. Got ya."

* * *

Meanwhile, Starrk and Halibel were looking off as the five were playing around.

"You know something…" Halibel looked to Starrk. "I never thought this would happen."

"What do you mean?" Halibel asked.

"Never thought they would actually get along together." Starrk pointed.

Halibel looked to see all five of them laughing together. Even Sung-Sun of all people was expressing joy. Most of the time, her stayed with her and avoided every other Arrancar altogether. But now, they were happily spending more time with Sora and Lilynette more often.

"He is something isn't he." Halibel said. To which Starrk nodded. Halibel then looked at him. "You've also changed to."

Starrk said nothing for a while, until. "Heh, heh…I guess you're right. But I could say the same thing about you."

Halibel didn't respond, as she was dwelling on her own thoughts. Truth be told, they both changed. Starrk always stayed in his chambers napping while she would be her own quarters, keeping to herself. Now, they had been communicating more often then they…well…ever.

"What do we have here."

The First and Third Espada turned to see Ulquiorra standing before them.

"Ulquiorra." Starrk said.

"Why are you here?" Halibel asked.

"I noticed this commotion happening and went to investigate." Ulquiorra said. "Needless to say, it seems you're Fracciónes are wasting time playing childish games."

Halibel narrowed her eyes. "It is Sora's day off and he wished to associate with them."

"Plus, this game seems to be like a form of training." Starrk pointed out.

Ulquiorra said nothing for a while. The others were too preoccupied to notice his presence. Afterwards, he looked back at the two higher Espada.

"I am also here to deliver a message from Lord Aizen." The Fourth Espada informed, causing them to listen closely. "The time for the battle has been set. At the start of winter, we attack Karakura Town and create the Ōken. You are aware of your positions then, correct?"

"Yeah, we know." Starrk said. "No need to remind us."

"Then I suggest you focus more on that then fulfilling the desires of our human guest." Ulquiorra bluntly said before walking off.

"You don't Sora the way we do." Halibel said, without looking back.

"I know enough to see that you two value him more than a simple ally." The Fourth Espada countered.

The other two neither looked afraid or horrified. He wasn't wrong and they were sure he would have caught on at some point.

"Do not let him get to either you." He said before walking away. "We exist solely for the sake of Lord Aizen. No human, regardless of power, will _ever_ change that."

Starrk and Halibel continued musing. For so long, that is all they ever thought of themselves as all the Arrancars were made to serve Aizen. They were loyal to Aizen for all he had done for them, but Sora was unlike anyone they had ever seen. Courageous and noble, willing to see the good before the bad, and always be there for his friends or anyone in need. Sora had managed to bring humanity, something that was completely alien to everyone in Hueco Mundo.

* * *

Eventually, the Struggle game came to an end. Everyone was sitting, catching a quick breather.

"That…was actually kind of fun." Apacci admitted.

"Yeah, I actually enjoyed that." Mila Rose added.

"I never imagined what it would be like to have fun." Sung-Sun confessed. "I don't know why it felt so great."

"It's because you're doing it with friends." Everyone looked at Sora. "The more friends you have, the happier you feel. That's how I felt back on the islands, whenever I played with Riku, Kairi, and the others."

"Never thought of something like that." Starrk admitted, as he and Halibel walked over to the five. "Anyways, glad to see you guys had fun."

"Yeah, it was one of the funnest days ever." Lilynette added. It was the only funnest day she ever had. "Hey Sora, how did you learn this game anyways?"

Sora pondered for a moment before answering. "Well, when I was out, another memory came to me."

Everyone wasn't expecting that. Lilynette broke into a wide smile. "Alright, what's it about?"

Seeing her reaction caused Sora to smile amusingly. "Your excited aren't you?"

"Hey, your my only source of entertainment here." She answered. "That and picking on Starrk." Said Espada grunted in annoyance.

"She's not the only one." Apacci said as she and her comrades shared looks of interest. Even Halibel looked curiously at what he had recalled.

Knowing that everyone's interest were set on him, Sora decided to tell them his latest memory. "Well, alright it's like this..."

Sora began by revealing the moment he, Donald, Goofy finally woke up from their memory restoration. Apparently, he learned that a full year had past since his adventure at Castle Oblivion and Naminé restoring his memories.

"You mean you guys spent a whole year sleeping." Apacci asked in disbelief.

"Wow, not even Starrk was able to sleep for that long." Lilynette pointed out. "Where'd you sleep? A cold storage?"

Sora shock his head. "No. My guess is those pods had some kind of magic that kept our bodies preserved while we were in stasis."

"That's seems to be logical." Halibel agreed.

He continued to say that he and his friends pondered their situation, Jiminy, who he revealed was the record keeper of their journey, examined the journal of their last journey, but found it blank except for a single phrase: "Thank Naminé!" Of course, all four of them had long forgotten her, as well as the events of Castle Oblivion.

"Wow...that sucks." Lilynette muttered.

"Guess remembering someone isn't as easy as it seems." Starrk said.

The trio made their way out and found themselves in Twilight Town, much to everyone's confusion though Halibel and Starrk assumed he must have been moved out of the castle, since it was operated by the people he fought. After meeting the locals of the town, he, Donald, and Goofy ended up fighting several white creatures, only to be rescued by King Mickey.

"Wait, the King was there!?" Mila Rose exclaimed.

"I thought he had been trapped in the Realm of Darkness along with your friend." Sung-Sun recalled.

Sora nodded. "I thoughts so to. But I'll get to it later." With King Mickey's guidance, the group found their way to the Mysterious Tower, the home of the sorcerer Yen Sid, a retired Keyblade Master and the king's teacher, much to everyone's interest. If the king was tough, then his master must be even stronger. When they arrived, Yen Sid alerted them to a new threat: "Nobodies," who served a group dressed in black coats known as "Organization XIII."

"Nobodies?" Asked the Fracciónes.

"Are these creatures similar to the Heartless?" The Third Espada asked.

"You know how Heartless are made right." The Arrancar nodded as he continued. "Well if the person's body and soul were strong-willed when they lost their hearts-"

"Then a Nobody is made." Starrk quickly understood.

The Keyblade Wielder nodded. "Master Yen Sid said that Nobodies are just empty vessels. They don't have heart, meaning they don't truly exist. Donald, Goofy, and I went of on another adventure to find Riku, while preparing to face off against these powerful Nobodies called Organization XIII."

Mila Rose quickly recalled something. "Hang on, where they the same group those people at the castle worked for?"

"That's right." He replied before continuing. In Hollow Bastion, the team were reunited with Leon, Yuffie and the friends he met in Traverse Town (he explained that Hollow Bastion was their original world). They were busy reconstructing the city and learned that the Heartless were still causing trouble. While dealing with them and the Nobodies, he had his first encounter with the Organization since waking.

Everyone listened intently, Sung-Sun however noticed something. "The Heartless. I thought they had been destroyed when you sealed the Door to Darkness?"

"I stopped an large number of them but Master Yen Sid said that as long as their is darkness in people's hearts, then they'll keep existing." He reveal. Everyone couldn't help but feel a bit grim, not wanting to think about the Heartless finding passage in their world.

After leaving Hollow Bastion, everyone listened as Sora explained the worlds he visited, some old, some new, all while chasing after the members of the Organization and dealing with Pete, who was working for Maleficent.

"Maleficent! I thought you killed her?" Lilynette exclaimed.

"I don't know how, but she managed to come back. She and Pete were gathering Heartless to conquer the worlds again." He explained.

"Then you had two enemies to deal with." Apacci muttered, feeling sorry that he couldn't catch a break.

Sora continued his travels, until visiting Twilight Town once more, where he learned that Kairi had been kidnapped by the Organization, much to the shock of everyone. On a second visit to Hollow Bastion, Sora and friends found themselves trapped inside a computer owned by "Ansem the Wise."

"Computer?" Apacci said, confused.

"It's a device used for accessing information." Halibel explained. "Lord Aizen explained they are common in the World of the Living."

"I think we have some of those." Starrk recalled before saying. "So, this computer belonged to Ansem, the guy you beat."

Everyone noticed a look of discomfort in Sora. He explained that, after repairing the program, with help of a security program named Tron, the trio were able to return to the real world, where they were finally reunited with King Mickey. It was then that he revealed a shocking surprise. "Ansem" the one who commanded the Heartless and the one he had fought and defeated was not really Ansem at all.

"He wasn't really Ansem?" Lilynette exclaimed. "If he wasn't Ansem then who was he?"

"The King explained that Ansem the Wise once had an apprentice named "Xehanort" who turned into a Heartless. That Heartless ended up taking Ansem's name and began his plans for taking over Kingdom Hearts." Sora explained.

"So you guys went through all that trouble just to beat an impostor?" Apacci surmised.

"Sounds like a serious downgrade for you guys." Mila Rose stated.

"Regardless of who he was, in the end, he still had to be stopped." Halibel clarified, which Sora nodded.

"Still, if he turned into a Heartless, then was a Nobody created alongside him?" Sung-Sun asked, remembering how Nobodies were made.

Sora nodded. "Yep. And that nobody, "Xemnas," became the leader of Organization XIII."

Lilynette moaned, "Mmmaaannn~! This is making my head hurt!"

"I'm lost enough already." Apacci groaned.

"Don't take it personal. Your thick heads can handle heavy stuff." Mila Rose teased, much to their ire.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?"

"Just go on. Maybe you can help clarify somethings." Starrk said, which Sora nodded. During an epic battle with the Heartless, Sora defeated Demyx, number IX to the Organization and over 1,000 Heartless, which impressed the Arrancar. It was then that he finally got a glimpse of his new adversary. After Xemnas left, Axel, who had survived the ordeal at Castle Oblivion, arrived and revealed his hand in Kairi's capture and the Organization's goal. They wanted Sora to destroy the Heartless, the capture the hearts that were released and use them to create their own Kingdom Hearts.

This new information certainly shocked everyone.

"For every heart destroyed, the Organization would capture them." Mila Rose repeated.

"That would mean you were technically helping Organization XIII." Sung-Sun realized, though she also knew he didn't do it willingly.

Sora looked down in thought. "I know. For so long I thought I was doing good by destroying the Heartless, but instead I was actually helping them. At that moment, I felt that everything we've was for nothing and I even consider never using the Keyblade." Everyone looked at Sora with sympathy at his crestfallen expression. They couldn't really blame him for feeling like that since he realized he was being used as a pawn by Organization XIII.

"However, I still decided to keep fighting the Heartless. If I didn't, then a lot of people could be hurt." Suddenly, a determine smile showed in the spiky-haired boy's face. "Besides, who said I was going to just let them have Kingdom Hearts. I still plan to stop them, so long as Donald, Goofy, the King, and Riku fought together as a team."

The others looked at Sora before smiling at his determination. This was just the part of Sora that they had come to know. Even when things looked down, he always find a way to turn it around. It was something that made Halibel respect him more.

The trio resumed their journey and re-visited the world's they've traveled to, defeating number III of the Organization; Xaldin. His search for Riku and Kairi brought them back to Twilight Town. They were guided their through a photo of the three kids Sora met, and a blonde boy who Sora knew as Roxas.

"Roxas?" Halibel question. "Is he an acquaintance of your's?"

Sora shook his head. "No. I just...knew his name somehow."

"How'd you know that?" Starrk asked.

Sora continued explaining that with help from the King, they discovered a computer room used by Ansem the Wise, who had snuck into Organization XIII stronghold. After entering an alternate version of Twilight Town where Roxas was sent, Sora and the others found a way into the realm of darkness. However, along the way, they were ambushed by a horde of Dusks. Fortunately Axel, who turned traitor to the Organization, came to the rescue and sacrificed himself to protect Sora.

"He...saved you?" Lilynette exclaimed. "First he tried to kill you, then kidnapped your girlfriend, and now he wants to save you?"

Sora, brushing off the young Arrancar's 'girlfriend' comment, said. "I was confused to. But I don't think he was ever a bad guy at all."

Mila Rose scoffed. "Just what the hell was he trying to do?"

In deep thought, he replied. "He said...he wanted to see Roxas again. To Axel, Roxas made him feel like he...had a heart and that I made in feel same."

Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun looked more confused at what he said. However, Starrk and Halibel recalled that Sora said if a person was strong-willed when they became a Heartless, then a Nobody would be born. They know that Sora's will is very strong and if they recalled his first journey-

"Anyways, let's move on." Sora said, snapping the two Espadas out of their thoughts. With Axel's sacrifice, the team reached Organization XIII's home world, "The World That Never Was." After infiltrating the castle, they managed to defeat Xigbar, the Organization's number II. Finally, after climbing the castle, Sora found Kairi. Shockingly, Xehanort's Heartless was also there, only for Kairi to reveal that the person was actually Riku.

"Riku! That was him?" Sung-Sun asked in disbelief.

"Why the hell did he look like Ansem!?" Apacci asked, stupefied.

Sora continued by explaining that after reuniting, they took care of Organization members Luxord and Saïx, numbers X and VII respectively. Much to their surprise, every Organization member had been referring to Sora as Roxas the entire time.

"I don't get it? Why have they been calling you Roxas?" Mila Rose question. Sora thought for a moment, however Starrk gave his answer. "It's because Roxas is Sora's Nobody." He revealed. The Fracciónes looked at Sora, which he confirmed, though was surprised that Starrk figured it out.

"How'd you-"

"It wasn't hard to figure out." Starrk said, "We started suspecting when that Axel character gave his life to save you."

Sora looked over Halibel, "We remembered what you said about how Nobodies were created. And the fact that you had become a Heartless, helped us lead to that conclusion."

"So, when you became a Nobody, Roxas was born." Lilynette surmised.

"That's right." Sora then looked up. "Xemnas was the one who found Roxas. Since he was my Nobody, he also had the power to use the Keyblade."

"That is why Xemnas recruited Roxas into Organization XIII." The Third Espada said a second later, recalling their plans to use the Keyblade to slay Heartless.

"So, Roxas was working for the bad guys?" Apacci asked. Sora shook his head. "No, I learned that Roxas ended up betraying the Organization." That helped clarify things for them. "Riku fought Roxas because he thought it would help wake me up, but he lost. To beat him, Riku had to give into the darkness, which is why he transformed into Ansem."

That explained a lot of things they questioned. To think that Riku would go so far to protect his best friends, despite betraying him and giving into the darkness in the past. And if Halibel remembered Axel's sacrifice, then that was why Axel risked so much for Sora, because he was also Roxas, in a way. Halibel couldn't help but relate, as she would go far to protect her Fracciónes, even risking her own life in the process.

"What happened to him? To Roxas?" Apacci asked softly.

"Obviously, he joined with Sora." Mila Rose shot back. Apacci growled before Sora continued. After reaching the tower, they met the real Ansem the Wise, who had been going under the alias "DiZ". Sora explained that he had be on a quest for vengeance against the apprentices (Xehanort and the founding members of the Organization) who had betrayed him. He was also the one who helped Naminé reconstruct his memories and recruited Riku to find Roxas. However, feeling remorseful for what he did to Roxas and countless others, Ansem the Wise blew up the Organization's Kingdom Hearts as his final atonement, and was himself engulfed in the blast.

The Arrancars were silent for a moment. True they never met Ansem the Wise but they could understand why he did what he did, even if he had been obsessed with anger and vengeance. But it didn't give him the right to use people like Riku, Roxas, and Naminé, creating more victims then he would have liked.

Sora revealed that the explosion also returned Riku to normal, much to their relief. Afterwards, with Maleficent and Pete fending off the swam of Heartless, albeit for their own purposes, they finally reached the top of the castle. Near what remained of Kingdom Hearts, Sora and the others confronted and defeated Xemnas. With the castle set to collapse, Naminé opened a gateway home; symbolically, she and Roxas accepted their place with Sora and Kairi, the people they had come from, which surprised everyone that Naminé had been Kairi's nobody. Just as they thought the battle was over, they were wrong. As Sora and Riku tried to follow Kairi and the others out, the gate suddenly closed. It turns out that Xemnas had survived, and Sora and Riku were flung into a final battle.

"Jeez, that guy doesn't know when to quit." Lilynette muttered.

"Riku and I were able to defeat Xemnas for good. However, both of us found ourselves in the Realm of Darkness." Sora revealed. "In fact, we were ready to give up back there."

"Give up!" Lilynette exclaimed, not believing that Sora would choose to give up so easily.

"Why'd you decide to give up. Couldn't you just find another way out!?" Apacci also cried.

"It's not like we knew a out to begin with. Besides, if it meant the Realm of Light was safe now, then what more could I want." Sora replied before saying. "But then..a letter in a bottle washed up. It was from Kairi. Before we knew it, a door to the light appeared, and it lead us back to our home, the Destiny Islands, where all our friends were waiting."

"So, you can say things ended well for all of us." Sora said. "After that, the last thing I remember was receiving a letter from the King. After that, everything else is still a blank."

"Have to admit, it was a lot to take in." Mila Rose mentioned.

"Regardless, I'm glad you overcame your adversaries." Sung-Sun said.

"That means you technically saved the worlds TWO times." Apacci realized.

"Wow, you just keep getting cooler." Lilynette cheered, having a newfound respect for him, as did the others.

Sora chuckled as he placed his hands behind his head. "Well, it's not like I did it alone. Besides, someone had to stop the Organization from what they were doing."

"And you were rewarded for your efforts." Halibel said. She too found new respect and admiration for Sora, who was willing to put his life on the line to thwart the Organization and bring peace to the worlds. To constantly be exposed to such life threatening situation at his age and was still willing to press on. Sora really did have a strong spirit and incredible will.

"We should be leaving. Thank you, Sora. For doing this." Halibel said, her Fracciónes nodding.

"Thank you. For accepting it." Sora smiled. "I guess tomorrow, it's back to work for me."

"Looks like it." Starrk agreed.

"Hope you get another day off soon so we could do this again." Lilynette said.

"Yeah!" Apacci agreed. "And just you wait, I'll be go enough to mop the floor with you."

"HA!" Mila Rose laughed. "In your dreams."

Apacci shot her a nasty look before Halibel calmed her down.

"All the same." Sung-Sun intervened. "Today was fun. I look forward to another one like this."

Sora smiled as he nodded his head. Truth be told, he hopped that things could be like this for along time. Who knows, if he found a way to get home, he'd see if Starrk, Lilynette, and the others would come with him. Maybe, they could all have a fun day at the beach, along with his other friends. Knowing them, Sora feels sure that his Arrancar allies would be accepted.

The spiky-haired teen looked over at Lilynette, who had a pensive expression on her face.

Curious, Sora asked "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing really." She replied. "It's just...what you said about Roxas. I...kinda want to meet him now."

"Yeah. He sounds like a cool guy." Apacci admitted. "Then again, he is you."

Sora chuckled. "Well, he came from me, so he's a part of my heart now."

"It's still interesting that you were able to coexist for a time." Sung-Sun said. "Is it possible to separate the two of you again?"

The Keyblade Wielder couldn't help but take in Sung-Sun's words. Truth be told, he kinda of thought that to. After everything Roxas had gone through, he at least wanted to find a way to give Roxas his own happy ending. By helping him be his own persons.

 _"Maybe, when this is over, I can try to find a way to meet Roxas again and let him know that he deserves to be free."_

How little did he know.

* * *

"Achoo!"

"Bless you. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. It must be the wind or something."

In the world of Twilight Town, Roxas and Xion left the train station and were walking down the street into the Tram Commons. After their trip to Radiant Garden, Riku, Aqua, and Terra explained the signal Ansem received and that they were going to work until they can find a stronger signal. They also explained the possibility of Sora and Kairi having been sent to a world outside from the remaining ones. Until they could find more information, the others decided to rest for now while remaining alert.

In the meantime, Roxas decided to make a trip to Twilight Town, a world he wanted to go to since his rebirth. Xion also decided to accompany him to, since she wanted to visit the town where she also held fond memories.

"Cool, the trams are still here!" Roxas cheered, running over to see the trams passing by.

Xion giggled as she joined his side. "You're acting the same way Sora did."

Roxas chuckled sheepishly. "I guess you saw that huh?"

"My heart was also inside Sora's." Xion then glanced over at the neighborhood, seeing so many people coming in and out of the stores, and a large line at a place called "Le Grand Bistrot". "This town really has changed."

"Yeah. I see the old armor shop got torn down and turned into a Bistro that Scrooge McDuck owns." Roxas said, also eager to try out Little Chef's cooking, since Sora spoke so highly of it.

"If I remember correctly, the empty lot also got turned into an open-air theater." Xion recalled eagerly. "Maybe we can watch a movie together."

"Maybe later." Roxas said, before sighing. "I really wish Axel could have come with us."

"He said he wanted to stay in Radiant Garden and find his friend Isa." Xion remembered he was the somebody of Saïx. She also felt uncomfortable, remembering the things he said to her about being an empty puppet. Roxas also noticed her uncomfortable expression.

"I know he wasn't the nicest person when he was a Nobody, but Axel said that he's a great guy, even though he can act like a jerk." Roxas recalled Lea having told them a bit about Isa.

Xion smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I don't hold anything against him. Besides, I remembered what he said in his last moments, how he felt Lea abandoned him and their other friend."

Roxas remembered that as well. "In a way, I guess he felt that we had taken his best friend away. But it's not like we did it on purpose." Then an idea came to his mind. "I know, if we ever meet Isa, we can invite him to the beach with us. I'm sure he and Axel would go for it."

The black-haired girl nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he will."

"And Naminé as well." Roxas declared. "I promised that we would be together. And when she comes back, we'll all go to the beach."

Xion nodded. "Maybe we can collect seashells together."

"Then lets-" Before Roxas could say anything, he froze as he suddenly saw three familiar people walking down the street, having a friendly conversation.

One of them was a boy with burnt orange eyes and spiky blonde hair. He wears a black vest with red-and-black plaid on the bottom and silver buttons worn over a white sleeveless shirt with a black marked skull and crossbones on the bottom-left side. He also wore baggy, blue jeans, and shoes that matched his vest. There was also a wooden cross pendant on his neck.

The second one was a stout boy with light brown eyes, and dark brown hair sticking over his black headband. He wore a black and white striped sleeved shirt with a crude picture of a dog with bones, with the word 'DOG STREET' written above. He wears black jeans and white shoes with yellow, orange, and red stripes on the sides and black soles. He also wears an orange bandana around his neck.

The last one was a girl with bright green eyes and long brown hair that draped over her shoulders. She wore a black tank-top with stitch-like vertical orange lining, red-checkered pants with blue and yellow lines, red socks and black and grey shoes with red laces. She also had a red-and-black bracelet and a red gem-embedded necklace.

Roxas immediately recognized them as Hayner, Pence, and Olette, three people he became great friends with, in the data Twilight Town that is.

Xion looked over at where Roxas was staring at and recognized the three as well. "Oh, so those three are Hayner, Pence, and Olette. The three people you knew before, right?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, at least that's how it was in my...fake memories." He smiled nostalgically. "Even though they were fake, they still felt so real. This town and the friendship I shared with them."

"Then you should go talk them." Xion encouraged. "Remember, they also helped Sora discover a way to bring you back."

"Yeah, and they promised they would wish for me to come back." He remembered the promise they made with Sora. This brought a smile to his face that they valued him a true friend.

"Then let's get going." He declared and Xion followed. Roxas smiled as he began approaching his friends, all while expressing gratitude to Sora, who kept his promise to make him his own person. Now, he was free to finally be himself.

* * *

Once everyone was straightened out, they went their separate ways. Halibel and her Fracciónes returned to their quarters while Sora, Lilynette, and Starrk returned to theirs.

"Well that day was something." Starrk said, "At least now we can all get some sleep."

Lilynette scoffed. "Oh please, you did nothing but lay down all day."

"Hey, I acted as referee when Sora was too busy to do it." Starrk countered.

"Yeah, well all the same, it was still nice that you stepped out of your room." Sora said. "Who knows, maybe I'll rope you into a game someday."

"I highly doubt that." The First Espada dryly replied.

"Either way, it was still nice." Lilynette said before grabbing Sora's arm. "And it's all thanks to Sora."

Sora rubbed his head, sheepishly. "What are friends for." Sora then noticed Lilynette's expression falter a bit. As if she was thinking back about something.

"Hey, Sora." She asked with a soft tone.

"Yeah." he said, wondering what was on her mind.

"You called us your friends and I want to know…what is a friend." Lilynette asked.

Sora though about it for a second. "Well, the answers really simple." Lilynette and even Starrk paid close attention as Sora replied. "A friend is when your able to hear someone call out to you, say your name with kindness, and you feel happy whenever they're around them."

Sora then patted he head. "That's how I think people accept others as friends." Sora then said. "And families. Because when I'm with you two, I feel that I have a brother and sister."

The two Arrancar's eyes immediately widen when they heard that. Brother and sister. No one's ever considered them like friends or even families for that matter.

Sora noticed their reaction and wondered if he went too far. To be honest, he kind of said that without even thinking. Before he could say something, Lilynette suddenly latched herself to Sora's waist.

"Thanks, Sora." She said. "For being our first friend."

Sora smiled as he rubbed her back. This, he figured, must really be what it feels like to have a little sister. It felt pretty nice.

Starrk looked one at the two, while musing on his own thoughts. Sora doesn't know, but back before they joined Aizen, it has always been him and Lilynette. For a long time, they had been wondering Hueco Mundo, hoping that they could find someone they could call a comrade and not feel alone. Even when Aizen recruited them to his army, none of them ever tried to go out of there way and make friends. Despite being surround by more people, things still felt…lonely.

Then, Sora came out of the blue and everything started changing. He called them his friends despite having been informed of their previous Hollow heritage. Now of all days, he just found himself associating with Halibel and her Fracciónes. While he seemed nonchalant at most, a part of him felt happy to be around so many people. It was just like Sora said about having more friends. That was certainly something he should look in one. He wished to have that feeling again.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Well, there you have it. I'm sorry if you were disappointed with the lack of action in this chapter. I just thought it be a good relaxation chapter before I get into the really heavy stuff. I hoped you enjoyed the scene with Nel, her brothers, and Sora. Don't worry, Nel and Sora will be spending a lot of time together, relatively soon. I also hoped you liked this version of Struggle that Sora came up with. However, unlike my last version, Sora remembers his second journey and recounted it to the others.**_

 _ **I also decided to include the scene in Twilight Town with Roxas and Xion in the end. After all, now that they have both been free, they finally have the chance to find the happy life they both deserve. As for Hayner, Pence, and Olette, they'll have an appearance in this story later, along with Little Chef (Remy).**_

 _ **Now as for Kairi, she and**_ _ **Naminé were finally able to meet once more, since she is a part of her heart. Honestly, I have nothing against Kairi but I really wish the game could have done more for her instead of playing damsel. But as you saw, Kairi has found her motivation and will work with her former Nobody to send a stronger signal to**_ _ **Naminé's data in Radiant Garden and**_ _ **get them both out of there.**_

 _ **Next Time: Sora joins several Arrancars as they launch an attack on Karakura Town. He clashes swords with a certain white-haired captain, all the while he begins to question the kind of side he chose.**_


	10. War in Karakura Town!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Ten chapters already. I'm really doing good with this crossover. Anyways, here's the new chapter for all of you to read and enjoy. Also, I am NOT the owner Bleach and Kingdom Hearts. Also, I have an announcement to make at the end of this chapter.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 10: "War in Karakura Town! Sora vs Captain Hitsugaya!"**_

The fun day off for playing quickly came to an end for the young Keyblade wielder as he soon began his training in Hakuda with Tōsen. Now Hakuda, as Sora remembered, was the Soul Reaper's form of Martial Arts. Aizen thought it would be better if Sora mastered the basics of Hakuda before facing off against the Soul Reapers. Sora had to admit that it was hard surviving this kind of training. Since he had relied on his Keyblade too many times, fighting Tōsen unarmed was different compared to when he fought him with a weapon. And most of the time, Sora ended up eating sand.

Of course, Tōsen did prove to be an effective teacher, as he often taught him the finer points of how to subdue an enemy, target the points in the opponent's body that would either kill or paralyze them, and disarmed them if he was unarmed. Tōsen also advised Sora to do some muscle training to increase his stamina. So, Sora decided to do a workout of a hundred pushups, sit-ups, and squats. Lilynette often watched him do his training and even acted like a stereotypical coach to encourage Sora to do more. Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun even helped out, providing perfect sparring partners for him.

Whenever Sora wasn't training, he would often sneak out of Las Noches and play with Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka. The younger girl Arrancar was happy to see him as always. He would often show them new games like three-legged racing, Struggle, and even this ball game he played with his friends, Tidus and Wakka, "Blitzball". This certainly made them happy and Nel even began to consider Sora as her third brother. He didn't really mind as he felt the same by seeing her as a little sister. Guess that means he has two now.

Sora still went on missions but thanks to all his training, the Hollows here weren't really much of a threat anymore. Even the Menos Grande were easy to kill now. And when he wasn't on missions, Aizen would call Sora to go over several things he needed to know about the Soul Society. What he was informed of was the ones who govern it, Central 46. He was surprised to hear that the Soul Society has a king, however he transferred all control over the Soul Society to them. Aizen had gotten through explaining to him about an extensive amount of strict laws that these Central 46 uphold. He certainly saw why Aizen spoke ill of them when he explained to him about the corruption of the Soul Society the first time. But, Sora couldn't help but think there was something more to Aizen then he was letting on.

Around now, a whole month had passed since his arrival in Hueco Mundo. However, Sora was so busy with Nel, his friends, and training that he didn't even notice. Currently, he was resuming his Hakuda training with Tōsen. It was hard at first, but after a month, he was getting the hang of it. Tōsen was delivering numerous punches and kicks while Sora could block them all. He attempted to sweep the leg but Tōsen back-shuffled and tried to kick Sora but he repelled it with his hands. Seeing an opening, Sora finished with a double palm strike to the chest, sending Tōsen back a bit.

Sora panted as he wiped the sweat off his face. "How's that." He smirked.

Tōsen chuckled. "It would appear that you have mastered the basics of Hakuda. Though I am surprised to see someone accomplish it in less than a month."

Sora grinned. "Well I've always been a fast learner." At least, when it came to fighting.

"Yet, remember the Soul Reapers you will be fighting are powerful to stand as their own military might." Tōsen warned. "Don't underestimate them and especially don't let your guard down for a second."

The Spiky-haired boy nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be ready for them when the time comes. Anyways, I guess I'll see you later Kaname." After a few days of training, Sora felt comfortable with calling Tōsen by his first name. "We can start training again tomorrow, right?"

The former captain shook his head. "Actually, since the month has passed and that your Hakuda training has been complete, I've decided that from this day forward, I will no longer be training you any further."

The Keybearer was shocked at hearing this. "But why!? I know I've gotten stronger during these training sessions over the last month, but I'm sure that I still need to learn more."

"You are right. There is more you still need to learn however, I cannot train you because for one reason." Tōsen explained. "My purpose for training you was to help you learn and experience fighting someone of my caliber. As of now, there is nothing more I can teach you. Everything else, you well have to learn by yourself."

Sora sighed while crossing his arms. He didn't like it but knew Kaname was right. This whole training was to prepare him to fight against the Soul Reapers, specially the 13 Court Guard Squad. "I guess I understand. That just means I'll have to start training on my own from now on."

Tōsen nodded but before Sora could leave, Tōsen stepped forward and asked something he had wanted to hear from Sora. "Just a moment Sora, there is something I must ask you."

The Keyblade's Chosen wielder stopped as Tōsen started walking towards hom. "What's is it Kaname?" Sora asked, curiously.

Tōsen stopped in front of him and said. "There's something I wish to know. You have been living among us for over a month now and I must ask you this." Tōsen paused for a moment before continuing. "Tell me, do you fight for the sake of Justice?"

Sora stepped back as he heard this. "Justice…What do you mean?" Sora asked.

Tōsen felt it was best to provide an explanation. "You see Sora, for a long time I have and always will walk on the path with the least amount of bloodshed. I have dedicated my life to Justice, to wipe out all evil in the world. I wish to make a world made of peace and virtue, where everyone can live in harmony, without fear, and where evil can be stopped. I wanted the strength so that I can create that kind of peace. If it is not enough to believe in justice, then I will become justice. I will seek out the evils that exist in this world and wipe them out like the clouds in the sky. That is why I decided to join Lord Aizen after learning of the Soul Society's corruption."

Sora remained silent as he listened to Tōsen. He admitted that his goal was very ambitious but for some reason, he couldn't help but feel a bit of mistrust in his words. Suddenly, Tōsen narrowed his eyes at him and asked. "So, tell me…do you fight for the sake of Justice?"

The Keyblade wielder didn't really know how to respond to his question at first, not really knowing what do say. Sora got into his usual thinking posture for a few seconds, then he faced Tōsen and said. "Well…I can't really say for sure what kind of justice I follow. You see, back when I first learn how to use the Keyblade, the only thing I really cared about was finding my friends Riku and another friend of mine named Kairi. However, around that time, many worlds were falling to darkness and since I was the only one around who could use a Keyblade, I was the only one who could defeat the Heartless and stop these bad guys who were controlling them."

"The Heartless. The creatures of darkness that Keyblade wielder are meant to destroy." Kaname recalled having been informed of the Keyblade when he was promoted to captain.

"Yeah." Sora said before continuing. "To be honest, I wasn't interested in becoming a Keyblade wielder at all. I never really asked to become one in the first place. The only thing on my mind was to find Riku and Kairi so we could go back to our own world and if it meant traveling around the worlds to find them, then I'll bare it."

Tōsen glanced at Sora and asked. "Then tell me, why do you choose to use the Keyblade right now Sora?"

Sora looked up at Tōsen, his eyes shining with determination. "To protect the people that truly mattered to me. To stop those who are willing to harm others just to complete their own selfish goals. I know the Keyblade didn't choose me, and I don't care. I'm proud to be a small part of something bigger…The people it did choose. Throughout my journey, I learned that my friends are my power. Until I remember everything, I'm going to continue using the Keyblade to fight for the friends I have here and end the Soul Society's corruption, where everyone can be free. I guess you can say that's the path that I walk on."

Tōsen nodded, "A noble yet difficult path you have chosen."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, well I have people that I want to protect with my life. I'm sure you can understand. Isn't there anyone in your life that you want to protect?"

Hearing that comment caused Tōsen's mind to go blank as he began recalling someone in his life from long ago. Before ever joining up with Aizen.

* * *

(Flashback)

A much younger Tōsen could be seen sitting in a field of grass next to a woman with long black hair. gazing at the night stars

" _I can see the stars Kaname_." She said.

" _Yeah._ " Was all he said.

( _She was a beautiful person._ )

" _I love the night sky Kaname. I see the world in it._ " She said, smiling at the sky.

( _I don't know what her face looked like, but I know she was beautiful._ )

" _There is so much darkness and yet in that darkness, so many, many shining points of light. Clouds come along and try to smother the light. Do you understand what I mean Kaname?_ "

He said nothing as she continued. " _I wish I could gather all the clouds so they could never again obscure the light that shines from the stars._ "

" _That's beautiful._ " He said.

( _She would call my name constantly. Whenever I heard her voice, I felt at ease. I never overcame my shyness and told her that I actually liked the clouds._ )

* * *

Tōsen's friend stands before him, smiling graciously.

" _I'm getting married, Kaname._ " She said with joy. " _What's more I received my acceptance letter from the academy yesterday. I'm going to be a Soul Reaper Kaname and let justice shine. I wanted you to hear it from me Kaname._ "

Tōsen said nothing for a moment until he smiled. " _Congratulations. Of course, you know that if there's anything I can do to help, you have only to ask._ "

His friends returned the smile. " _Thank you. But…all I want you to do is stay just as you are. I want you to be here to listen to my stories when I come back._ "

( _She said it was a promise and I can tell she was smiling when she said it. Those were the last words I heard her say. She never came back._ )

* * *

Tōsen is standing over his friends open grave, grabbing her hand in grief.

( _It was her own husband who murdered her. He had kill a colleague over a petty disagreement. When she approached him for it, he had killed her to. There was no one who desired peace more than she did…No one with a stronger sense of justice. It's why she had chosen to fight but she wasn't even given a chance to do that. What was she lacking? Is believing in justice and peace not enough to obtain them. In that case, I want power. I want the power to impose peace. If it's not enough to believe in justice then for her I swear I will become justice and seek out all the evil in this world so that I may one day wipe it out. Like the wind cast away the clouds from the sky. I will put my justice to the test._ )

* * *

(Flashback end)

"Kaname, hey Kaname." Tōsen snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Sora looking at him.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked.

"I...am fine." He reassured. "And to answer your question, I…do not…" Tōsen spoke, though the Keyblade wielder couldn't help but sense a bit of hesitation in his voice.

"The only thing that matters to me right now is…Justice." Tōsen finished.

Sora remained silent, not finding the right words to say. A thought came to Sora's head as he started walking up to Tōsen. The blind man sensed him approaching and turned to face the Spiky-haired boy.

At first, his facial expression was blank but then it shifted to a smile. "Well it doesn't have to be the only thing. Because we can protect each other." Sora said.

Hearing this caused Tōsen to be taken aback.

"What do you mean?" Tōsen asked.

"What I mean is how about you stay the way you are. Instead, you fight for your principles for me and I'll do the same for you. If there's anything precious to you, protect it with your life, and we'll have each other's backs." Sora smiled more. "With the war with the Soul Society coming up we're gonna have to work together, right?"

"I…suppose, but why?" Tōsen asked.

"Because we're friends. Aren't we?" Sora said kindly.

Underneath his visor, Tōsen's eyes widen in surprise as he had heard what Sora said. For as long as he could remember, there were only two people that consider him a friend. His deceased friend and _him_.

The former captain couldn't help but smile as he replied. "I suppose so."

Sora returned the smiled and laughed at the same time.

* * *

In another part of Las Noches, Ulquiorra was walking down one of the white halls with his same emotionless expression he always kept on his face. He stopped walking as he approached a door. Opening the door, he saw Yammy, with his shirt off, and a female Arrancar who was working on removing the bandages from severed arm. The large Espada turned around to see the Fourth Espada standing in front of the door.

"Ulquiorra?" Yammy said without turning around. "What do you want?"

The Fourth Espada didn't say a word until he saw the medic Arrancar remover the bandages from Yammy's arm, seeing the stitches that reattached it. "You've healed. It's a good thing that I decided to bring your severed arm back here. Just in case."

Yammy gave an enraged snarl. "This took too long. My arm felt like it was going to rot away! You know it would be nice if our bodies healed on their own like your eyeballs do."

"Stop complaining. You're lucky to have an arm at all." Ulquiorra retorted. "If it were completely destroyed like Grimmjow's, you would have been kicked out of the Espada too."

The Tenth Espada scoffed and said. "I guess you're right."

The medic Arrancar stepped back, "I have completed the treatment."

"Oh" Yammy got up and started to move his arm around as the medic Arrancar asked. "How is it? Is the movement and responsiveness the same before as it was severed?"

Yammy thought of it for a moment when suddenly the large Arrancar slammed his fist on the medic Arrancar's head, sending her crashing to the wall as her head was shattered.

"Not good enough." Yammy stated. "If it was in its usual condition, I would have split her right in half."

Ulquiorra turned around and said. "Idiot."

"Nevertheless, I know that it will get better sooner or later." The large Arrancar declared. "And when it does I'll get my revenge on that Soul Reaper."

"You're only wasting energy. Now let's go Yammy. Lord Aizen wants to see us." Ulquiorra said as he opened the door and left the room. Yammy sighed as he left the room as well.

* * *

Aizen turned as he heard the door behind him open and saw Yammy and Ulquiorra coming inside.

"Welcome, Ulquiorra and Yammy. It won't be long now." Aizen said as he stood near a glowing square shaped barrier that had the mysterious Hollow Sora and Gantenbainne were sent to collect a month early. It was wrapped around in bandages with its arms spread out.

They weren't the only ones in the room. Stark, Halibel, Nnoitra, and Aaroniero were there along with another Arrancar. He was a male Arrancar with a youthful, but effeminate, features. He possessed short, curly though unevenly cut black hair and lavender eyes. Just above his left eyebrow was a row of three pink stars. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a top row of teeth that rest atop the left side of his head. He wore a variation of a typical Arrancar outfit. His attire consisted of a long-sleeve shirt, enough to cover and cloak his hands. His shirt had an opening on the left side of his body, just below his arm. In addition, there were two large square-like holes on the bottom portion of his shirt that revealed his left and right abdomens. He finished his outfit with a white hakama, black sash, black tabi socks and a pair of low-heeled open-toe shoes. He was known as Luppi Antenor, the new Sixth Espada and Grimmjow's replacement.

Starrk and Halibel were called by Aizen and informed him that Sora was walking around Las Noches with their Fracciónes. He didn't mind as he would prefer Sora would not be here to see this. Aizen smiled as he placed a strange orb on the container.

"What's the status of the Hōgyoku?" Ulquiorra asked about the object, now known as the Hōgyoku.

"Fifty percent." Aizen said. "It is going to awaken exactly when the Soul Society expects it to. But there's a secret. A secret that only those who have possessed the Hōgyoku are aware of." He reached out to touch the Hōgyoku. "I have my doubts that even Kisuke Urahara, the man who originally developed it, has the slightest clue about this secret." Suddenly, when Aizen's fingers came within range, the Hōgyoku turned dark and small tentacles began latching onto Aizen's finger. "When the Hōgyoku, in its dormant state with its seal removed, is joined with someone who possesses twice the spirit energy of a captain, for a short time." The Hōgyoku started to glow brightly. "Its full power is suddenly released as if the Hōgyoku were completely awakened once again."

Soon, the square shaped barrier shattered, along with the wrappings. Aizen walked towards the person that was inside and asked. "Can you tell us your name? New comrade."

The Hollow was then transformed into a male Arrancar, with a thin and somewhat childlike body. He had light blond hair, parted to one side, with the tips fanning out from his face. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a three-point tiara on the top of his head. He only has two teeth visible, freckles and bright purple eyes. His Hollow hole was located at the center of his chest. The new Arrancar looked up at Aizen and said. "Wonderweiss…Wonderweiss Margela…"

"Excellent. The Arrancar that Sora and Gantenbainne captured is doing quite nicely." Aizen said, referring to the newly born Arrancar. Truth be told, the reason he waited so long to create him was for two reasons; First, he needed to wait until Szayelaporro was nearly complete with his device. Second, he also needed to add some…modifications to him.

He slightly turned his head to Ulquiorra and asked. "Do you remember the order that I gave you approximately one month ago, Ulquiorra?"

"Yes." Ulquiorra confirmed.

"It is time to carry it out." Aizen said. "I will even give you a choice and take whomever you like with you."

"Thank you, sir." Was all the Fourth Espada said.

Aizen smiled. "One more thing, take Sora with you."

While Ulquiorra and everyone else was caught off guard with their leader's sudden request, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and said. "As you wish."

With that done, Aizen began to walk away. However, he stopped to look up at someone else. "Oh, by the way. Would you like to go as well…" the person he was talking to was none other than "Grimmjow?"

The blue-haired Ex-Espada, still missing his arm, narrowed his eyes and looked away.

* * *

Sora had been at Halibel's quarters playing a board game he made up with Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun when Starrk and Halibel came to get him. They explained that Aizen had a new mission for him and he was to see him. Curious, Sora follow them to Aizen's throne room where all the Espada's were gathered. Nnoitra was also among them, causing the two share a heated glare. Starrk noticed this and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Let it go, Sora." He said. Sora calmed down and walked passed him.

"Good Afternoon, Sora." Aizen said pleasantly. "There is a mission I have for you."

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"Now that you have completed your training with Kaname, I realized that for you to be prepared for the upcoming war, you need to gain experience with battling the Soul Reapers." Aizen said.

Sora didn't say anything, merely listening as Aizen went on. He wondered where he was going with this.

"You may not know, but several Soul Reapers have been stationed in Karakura Town." Aizen continued. "I want you to accompany Yammy, Grimmjow, and our two new comrades."

Sora looked to see Yammy and Luppi, the latter was whom he didn't know about.

Aizen noticed this and decided to give an introduction. "Sora, this is Luppi Antenor. The new Sixth Espada."

The new Espada gave Sora a mocking smile, "So, you're the great Sora that everyone has been talking about." He said with arrogance dripping in his voice. "And here I thought you'd be more intimidating."

Sora didn't know who he was but he already didn't like his tone. However, he realized something. "Wait a minute. The new Sixth Espada. What happened to Grimmjow?"

His question was answered when he noticed Grimmjow walking towards them. He looked at him and what he saw shocked him completely.

"What happened to your arm?!" he cried. Sure enough, Grimmjow's left arm was gone.

"You see Sora." Aizen explained. "Grimmjow lead a suicide mission on Karakura Town against my orders. As a result, his Fracciónes were completely wiped out."

Sora's eyes widen in shock. He didn't personally know them but felt bad that they were killed. He wondered how Grimmjow was taking it.

"As a result of Grimmjow's disobedience, he was stripped of his rank and losing his arm was his punishment." Tosen stated to Sora. Sora's eyes widened when he put two-and-two together.

"Wait…that means…" Sora was outraged. "You cut his arm off? Why would you do that!?"

"Shut up, kid!" Grimmjow told him. "Shouting ain't gonna bring my arm back."

"Can't you regrow it or reattach it?" Sora asked.

"Sorry, Sora." Luppi said mockingly. "But he doesn't have regenerating powers and his arm got burned to ashes. There isn't anything left of it."

Sora looked at Grimmjow, feeling bad that he lost his arm. Before he could confront Aizen, he felt something grab onto his left wrist. He looked down and saw what appeared to be a little kid with blonde hair, purplish eyes, and a bit of bucktooth. A tiara like fragment was on his head and he carried a big cleaver on his back. He wore the Arrancar jacket with a hole in the middle of his chest, revealing his Hollow hole and the tip of a mark on his chest. The outfit also has large arm cuffs on the sleeves.

"Sora." Aizen said. "I would also like you to meet another new companion. Wonderweiss. He will also be accompanying you to Karakura Town."

"Aaaaaahhh…" Wonderweiss said, looking up at Sora.

Sora looked at Wonderweiss who made him feel uneasily for some reason. Though something about him felt familiar. However, his mind was still on Aizen. He was willing to cut off a person's arm for disobedience. He knew Aizen was mysterious but this…any trust he may have had was vanished completely. He wanted no part this expedition. But after what he saw, Aizen could easily cause something to happen to Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun.

So, he decided to go along with this…for now.

"So…When do we leave?" he asked causally.

"Immediately." Aizen told him.

After those words spoke, a strange hole opened in the throne room. Sora got a closer look to see that the inside was swirling with energy and darkness. It reminded him a bit of the Realm of Darkness.

"This is called a _Garaganta._ " Ulquiorra explained. "It is a spiritual pathway connecting Hueco Mundo to the World of the Living and the Soul Society. I recommend that you follow the others as humans would have difficulty traveling through it."

Sora was confused by Ulquiorra's words, but decided to go along with it and let the Arrancar step into the portal first.

Before he could follow them, Aizen stopped him.

"One last thing, Sora." Aizen called after him. He threw something at Sora, which he caught. It looked like a helmet designed like a skull. "It's best if you don't reveal to the Soul Reapers that you're human. I recommend that you wear it during this mission." Sora nodded and went in. With that, the hole connecting them to Hueco Mundo closed.

* * *

When Sora entered the swirling vortex, he saw a strange road of light that suddenly appeared when all the Arrancars entered. He followed the pathway to catch up with them while putting on his helmet at the same time. The trip had been quiet and boring but after a while, another hole opened in front of them where he saw a bright flash of light. Sora looked around and saw the blue sky that he was so familiar with. And he could see trees and the ground, which looked to be a park of sorts. He couldn't help but wonder why this set up felt familiar.

Suddenly, in a flash, he saw the creature that he was fighting in his dream that he had a month prior. He flinched and stepped back but recovered before anyone could see. Looking down on the park, he realized that this was the park that he appeared in his dream. Did that mean, he had been here before.

"Oh?" Yammy said, smirking. "It looks like we picked a good spot to show up. There are some guys with pretty high spiritual pressures down there. Wanna start with them?"

"Take a good long look. Those are Soul Reapers, Yammy." Luppi said to him, following his gaze. "Wonder what they're doing here? Maybe they're the reinforcements from Soul Society that Mr. 6 told us about?" He sent a mocking gaze at Grimmjow. "Right? Oh, sorry. Of course, I mean the former 6."

Sora frowned at Luppi, not liking how he was rubbing his rank at Grimmjow's face. He decided to follow their gaze and them looking four people. Each of them had different clothing but he could make out some appearances. There was a bald guy, an orange-haired woman, a white-haired little kid, and a man with shoulder length black hair and had something that looked like feather attached to his eye. So, these were the Soul Reapers? Aizen said Soul Reapers looked like human, but he didn't know how closely the resemblance was.

Grimmjow said nothing and looked off with a bored expression. "The guy that I'm looking to kill…he's not even down there with them."

Sora snapped his head to look at him. "Kill?" Did he hear him, right?

Instead of saying anything, Grimmjow suddenly shot off into the sky, flying through the area. Sora remembered that during this month Tōsen had taught him how to use Spiritual Pressure to levitate his body. Sora was able to float in the air but it had taken some time for him to move while doing it. Of course, after a week, he managed to do it right. It was just like flying in Neverland.

"Hey!" Yammy yelled at him. "Wait up, Grimmjow!" Grimmjow just kept going and was soon out of sight. "Damn. That idiot!"

Luppi just turned around. "Don't bother about him. He's not even an Espada anymore. He's…worthless."

Yammy grunted and resumed looking down at the group below. "The guy I want to kill's not down there either."

Sora looked at them with an exasperated look. He knew they were going to war in a few days but these guys talked about it like it was part of their daily routine. And it appeared that they were enjoying it a little too much.

"Who do you mean?" Luppi asked. "The guy who chopped your arm off? Or the guy who kicked your butt? Or the guy who deflected your Cero? With you, there are only so many enemies to choose from."

Yammy grinned sadistically. "I want all of them."

Sora felt his stomach raising. He could tell this wasn't going to end well.

"Hey, you two!" Yammy yelled at Sora and Wonderweiss. "Let's get going! You to rookie!" He said to Wonderweiss, who looking to the distance. "Don't just stand there drooling like that."

Wonderweiss let out a sigh. "Just what we need. Another freak to join the team." He said, annoyed. Nevertheless, he jumped out and charged directly at the group. Luppi and Wonderweiss soon followed.

Sora decided to act and summoned his Keyblade. He hoped out of the Garganta and concentrated on gathering spiritual pressure to his feet. It worked and he floated in the air. He wobbled a bit before regaining his balance and saw the group were now wearing different clothing.

The white-haired kid was wearing a black shihakushō with a sleeveless white haori with a green sash around his shoulders, held together by a round, star-like clip. The sash held his Zanpakutō's sheath in place on his back and was tied to it at either end. He also wore tabi with his sandals. He was known as Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the Captain of Squad 10.

The woman has long and wavy orange hair, blue eyes, full lips, and a beauty mark located under the right side of her mouth. She had a curvaceous figure also had very large…assets. She wore a typical black shihakushō, though she made no attempt to hide her ample bosom. She wore a thin golden necklace tucked between her cleavage and a long pink scarf over her shoulders. In addition, she wore an armband on her uniform's sash. She carried her Zanpakutō behind her back. Her name is Rangiku Matsumoto, Squad 10's lieutenant.

The second male was tall and muscular. He was bald and his eyes each had a small red marking at the outer corner. Like everyone, he wore the standard Soul Reaper shihakushō, with the exception of no tabi with his sandals. He was Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd seat of Squad 11.

The last male wore the standard Soul Reaper shihakushō uniform with some customization. An orange piece of clothing sat on top of his uniform around the neck, which covered most of his chest that would otherwise be exposed by his uniform. This was connected to an orange sleeve on his right arm under the much looser fitting sleeve of the uniform. He had colorful feathers on his right eyelashes and eyebrow. He had shiny skin, purple eyes, and jaw-length black hair, which, in conjunction with the feathers, gave him a somewhat feminine appearance. His name was Yumichika Ayasegawa, 5th seat of Squad 11.

Hitsugaya pulled out his sword and soared straight at them. However, Yammy was able to block the attack with his own sword.

"I'm Squad 10 Captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya." He announced.

Yammy smiled. "That's quite a coincidence. I'm also a 10. Arrancar 10, better known as Yammy."

"Number 10?" Tōshirō asked before realizing. "Then that means you're an Espada."

"Yeah, it seems you know about us." Yammy asked with a sneer. "It seems that you've been fighting someone who obviously has a big mouth."

Sora soon saw that the white-haired kid's friends sprang into action and surrounded some of them Arrancars. Ikkaku and Yumichika faced off against Luppi. The bald man was holding a spear behind his back while the man with the eyebrows had a sword handle that had four sickle blades attached to it.

"I take it you're an Espada too?" Yumichika asked Luppi.

Luppi smiled at them. "That's right~. My name is Luppi." He raised the opening on his hip to reveal his 6 that was tattooed on his hip. "I'm ranked number six."

Sora saw Wonderweiss starring at birds behind him while the woman appeared in front of him. He could see that she was looking at him in surprise. Seeing the figure that she made no attempt to hide, Sora choose to be a gentleman and focus more on her face.

"You…" She said as she studied Sora. Even with his mask that resembled an Hollow's, she obviously wasn't fooled by it. "You're not an Espada. You're not even an Arrancar. So, what's with that tacky disguise?"

Hitsugaya and the other two looked at the Rangiku, then at Sora. All of them looked at the masked Sora in surprise.

"Who the hell is he? Oh well, one more bastard to fight then." Ikkaku Madarame said with a grin, excited at the thought of fighting with another person

Yumichika yawned in boredom as he took a good look at Sora. "Well he has an impressive figure but that helmet of his is much too ugly for my standards."

Rangiku looked at him incredulously. "Oh, there you go again, Yumichika. Always going off and judging people by their looks. You're such a narcissist."

The 5th Seat responded by rolling his eyes and said. "That's a good one coming from someone who's so lazy and self-centered. So, I shall take that as a complement."

Sora sweat dropped at this exchange. Aizen had told him not to let his guard down but these people weren't really living up to all that hype. He then saw Ikkaku looking at his partner. "Hey, Yumichika, Rangiku, stand back. I'm taking him on."

Rangiku looked annoyed while Yumichika shrugged. "Fair enough." He relented. "I'll deal with the Arrancar right here." He looked at Luppi as he said this.

Using speed that Sora believed to be Flash Step, Ikkaku appeared in front of Sora. "I'm the 3rd seat of the Zaraki Squad, Ikkaku Madarame!" He said smirking excitedly. "Now, are you gonna tell me your name?"

Sora got into a fighting stance. "My name's Sora. That's all you'll need to know."

"Sora huh, well I'll try to remember your name but you better do the same." Leering, Ikkaku lunged forward, "Because I'm the one who's gonna kill you!" He held his spear forward to stab Sora. Unfortunately, Sora tilted his head to the lift and used his Keyblade to block Ikkaku's spear.

Their blades continued to lock on for a moment, until Ikkaku pulled his spear back and began a barrage of attacks that Sora block, but had a difficult time predicting Ikkaku's attacks. Sora deflected the last attack but that left his body opened and Ikkaku planned to pierce Sora. When his spear came in range, Sora grab the front and catapulted himself over Ikkaku and landed behind him.

Turning around, the 3rd seat grinned at him. "Looks like I've got myself a seasoned warrior right here. I can tell by the way you move, fight with your weird blade, and your reaction time." He complemented before getting a little serious. "Let me just ask, who's your teacher?"

Sora looked confused hearing that. He thought of it for a moment before replying. "Well, I only trained with him for a month so I don't know if I'd call him my teacher. But the one who prepared me to fight against you Soul Reapers was…Kaname Tōsen."

Ikkaku's eyes widen after hearing that name but then he began laughing wildly. "I see. So, then it would be rude for me to kill you to easily." He took off and aimed his spear straight toward Sora. Sora thought Ikkaku was going to stab him again, so he blocked the blade of the spear with his Keyblade again.

However, he noticed Ikkaku smirk. Before he had time to react, the long spear split itself, revealing that it contained three different segments that allowed it to bend. The segments soon wrapped around a surprised Sora's body, catching him in it.

"You look surprised, Sora." Ikkaku said. "My Zanpakutō, Hōzukimaru, isn't a spear. It's actually a Sansetsukon."

He grinned as he saw Sora struggling to get his Keyblade free. "Tough luck, you're not gonna be able to break out of that one. Face it, you're stuck."

His grin fell when he noticed Sora smirk. "Sorry, but there's still a lot about my Keyblade you don't know about." Suddenly, Sora entered Second Form, the burst of energy was powerful enough to break out of the binds, which also shattered the spear segments and the spear itself. Ikkaku's eyes got wide as Sora charged forward, before Ikkaku could react, Sora used Zantetsuken to finish him off. He turned to see Ikkaku plummeting to the ground.

Yumichika, Hitsugaya, and Rangiku were all shocked to see this strange warrior defeat Ikkaku. And he's not even an Arrancar. Come to think of it, they couldn't even sense him putting any spiritual pressure into that attack. Just who or what is he?

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika cried. He was about to help his comrade and attack Sora when Luppi used Sonido to intercept him.

"Did you forget that we're fighting right now?" Luppi asked mockingly.

Yumichika glared at him.

"I've got him, Yumichika!" Rangiku said before using Flash Step to appear in front of Sora.

"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto," Rangiku introduced herself. "Lieutenant of Squad 10."

"A lieutenant huh." Sora recalled hearing that they were considered the second strongest people in their squad. He decided to take a chance and say. "Listen, Rangiku was it? Let's just stop all this fighting right now. It's becoming pointless, especially since you were the ones who started all this."

Hearing that caused Rangiku to freeze in her tracks, just as everyone else did.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Ikkaku groaned from the ground, rubbing some form of cream on his wound.

"Aizen told me enough to know that all you guys care about are your dumb rules and position that you don't even care about saving souls anymore. And I know that even though you guys kill Hollows, that doesn't give you the right to kill Arrancar, because they're nothing like them!" Sora yelled.

This left every single one of the Soul Reaper speechless. This guy thought the Arrancars were the good guys.

Yammy and Luppi could see where this was going so they needed to do something fast. Aizen had given them strict orders to make sure that Sora thought the Soul Reaper were the bad guys here.

"Don't waste your time on them Sora." Luppi called out. "It's pointless."

"That's right!" Yammy added. "After all, those Soul Reapers are too full of themselves."

Hitsugaya overheard this exchanged. Corruption, no longer helping lost souls, sympathy for Arrancars. Hitsugaya realized that Aizen had convinced this masked warrior that the Soul Reapers were the evil ones in this war. He needed to do something.

"Rangiku!" he yelled to his lieutenant. "Take down the masked man but don't kill him. We'll take him back to the Soul Society for interrogation."

Rangiku nodded at her captain before looking back at Sora before raising her blade. " _Growl, Haineko!_ " Sora saw that her sword suddenly transformed into a giant cloud of dust.

Rangiku swung her bladeless hilt in Sora's direction. Much to his shock, the giant dust or ash cloud came surrounded him. "What the…" Sora said examining the dust cloud. "What is this stuff? I can't see anything!" He swung his Keyblade to disperse the cloud only for it to appear around his arm and, to his surprsise, cut it, causing blood to splash out. He discovered what this cloud was. It wasn't ash or dust but tiny blades that swarmed together to make it resemble dust. Sora was durable but he knew that he needed to do something fast before he started to get sliced up.

Sora channeled all the energy he gained from attacking Ikkaku to his Keyblade and generate a surge of magic energy. He thrust his Keyblade forward and released four large magic orbs. This technique was known as _Explosion._

Rangiku's eyes went wide. "What the…?" She managed to cry out just before dodging the magic balls, which exploded behind her. However, the cloud from Haineko was obliterated and her sword returned to normal. She stared at the masked Sora in fright.

"He can use magic attacks too!?" Yumichika asked, looking at the damage.

"Sorry, but you should be focusing more on who you're up against." Luppi said smugly. Yumichika was panting, clearly having a difficult time against Luppi. Luppi looked over to see Hitsugaya and Yammy at a standstill. "Sora! Yammy! Let me have those two you're fighting! It's so tedious fighting them this way. I'd rather take all three of them on at once."

"All at once?" Sora cried. "Can you even handle that much?"

Luppi snarled at Sora. "Be quiet. It's not gonna be a problem for me. I'll simply release my power and put an end to all your boring lives." He declared to the Soul Reapers as he took out his Zanpakutō.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he recalled the difficulties he and his group had when facing the last group of Arrancar when they released themselves. After what they went through, he wasn't going to give him the chance. Hitsugaya charged at him. "I won't let you!"

The rest of the Soul Reapers looked to see Hitsugaya's spiritual pressure increase. "Bankai! _Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!_ "

Suddenly, ice began to flow onto Hitsugaya. The ice on his right arm formed into the shape of a dragon's head around his sword hand, encasing the sword up to the hilt. The ice covered most of his shoulders, which created two large wings sprouting from his back and a long tail. The ice forms down his left arm and encases his hand, which ends in a claw. Hitsugaya's feet are encased in ice in a similar manner to his left hand, as they also end in claws. There were also three flowers of ice floating behind him, each consisting of four purple petals shaped like diamonds.

Sora's eyes widen as he saw this. This captain's Bankai resembled an ice dragon in his eyes. The squad 10 captain made his way to attack Luppi, but he was unfazed by this.

" _Strangle! Trepadora!_ "

Hitsugaya was repelled by the immense spiritual pressure from Luppi's Resurrección. Hitsugaya was unable to attack due to the smoke but suddenly a tentacle shot out. The white-haired captain blocked the tentacle with his ice wing but was pushed back a few feet away.

"You must be kidding. Is that all you've got?" The captain asked unimpressed. "I would've expected damage from your full release."

Luppi began laughing from within his smoke. "That was nicely done. I honestly thought you weren't going to be able to block that attack. I have to admit, I'm a little surprised."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. Where was he going with his complementing? Luppi continued. "I guess you captains are pretty tough huh. I have to watch my step. But just think. That attack, the one you were able to block just now, would you be able to stop it if it were eight times stronger." The smoke disappeared and revealed Luppi in his released form. Luppi had gained eight enormous tentacles, each of which were connected at one of the corners of an octagonal design fixated on his back, and a bone cowl on his head.

The Soul Repears and even Sora's eyes widen at the sight. So, this was Luppi's Resurrección. Before Hitsugaya could react, Luppi launched all his tentacles that struck the captain. The damage was intense as Hitsugaya was to injure to recover and plummeted to the forest.

"I told you, three against one would have been much better odds." Luppi mocked.

Despite his injuries, Ikkaku grabbed the remains of his spear and rejoined his allies. "Oh, I'm sorry, I meant four against eight."

Suddenly, before Sora could do anything, Luppi snatched up Rangiku, Yumichika, and Ikkaku with his tentacles.

Luppi noticed Rangiku and brought her closer. "I don't know if anyone's ever told you this before but you've got a smoking body." He said, examining her, "Yes, indeed. You have definitely got it going on. Wonder how you look if I punched you full of holes?" One of his tentacles suddenly grow out spikes.

"Luppi! Stop it!" Sora yelled having seen enough. "You're going too far!"

Hearing that caused everyone to look at Sora in shock.

"What…did he say?" Rangiku asked, astonished.

"He…can't be serious?" Yumichika asked in disbelief.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ikkaku asked himself. "This guy fighting for the Arrancar but he doesn't want to kill?" They all knew that something wasn't right here.

"Stay out of this Sora!" Luppi yelled. "This is war! You didn't think people weren't gonna die!"

"You're taking this to far!" Sora shouted back. "And it doesn't have to be like this! Let's just talk to the Soul Society and maybe we can…"

"Shut up!" Luppi snapped. Then he shot the spiked tentacle straight at Rangiku.

"No!" Sora yelled, raising his Keyblade to stop Luppi. This would have gotten him in trouble, but he wasn't going to let him kill her, enemy or not. Before he could though, someone had already beaten him to it. A red wave of energy came out of nowhere and sliced off Luppi's tentacle. Shocked, everyone else looked to see who it was.

Walking out of the trees was a tall, lean-built man with light skin and gray eyes. His hair was messy and light-blond with strands framing the sides of the face and hanging between his eyes, and he had chin stubble. He wore a dark coat, which sported a white diamond pattern along its bottom half, with a dark green shirt and pants underneath. He was also wearing traditional Japanese wooden sandals and a striped dark green and white bucket hat. On his hand was some kind of thin sword. He was known as Kisuke Urahara.

"Well, looks like I made it just in time. That was certainly close wasn't it." The man said.

"Who are you? Why are you interrupting?" Luppi asked him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't have time to properly introduce myself." Urahara said. "The name's Kisuke Urahara. I own a small candy store in the neighborhood. Perhaps, you've heard of it?"

"Anyways, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Before he could do anything, Wonderweiss suddenly appeared right behind him. His hand was reached out to grab Urahara's hat, but Urahara spun around to unleash a red energy wave at Wonderweiss, but he flipped away.

Sora then notice Yammy going over to where Wonderweiss and that Hat-and-Clog wearing man were at. Rather than see how that fight was going to turn out, Sora was about to go and talk to Luppi when suddenly a wall of ice appeared in front of him. Sora turned around and, much to his surprise, it was Captain Hitsugaya floating in front of him. The way he looked it was as if he wasn't injured at all.

"I don't know who you are but from your earlier actions, I can see you're nothing like the Arrancars. I hope you can forgive me but I'm going to have to take you back to the Soul Society." Hitsugaya said.

Sora narrowed his eyes at Hitsugaya. He wasn't planning on being taken away. He had people who were waiting for him back there. Starrk, Lilynette, Harribel, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. He also had Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka. He wasn't going to leave them, no matter what.

"Sorry." Sora replied. "But I'm not going with you."

Hitsugaya frowned. "That wasn't an option." Then he lunged forward at Sora. The Keyblade wielder reacted immediately by summoning his Keyblade and blocking his attack. As the two locked blades, Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he got a closer look at Sora blade. It looked like some form of key. A key-shaped sword. Now, why did it look familiar? Deciding to act first and ask questions later, Hitsugaya unleashed a trailer of ice from his sword. To Sora's shock, his whole body was being encased in a boulder of ice.

"Sorry." He said. "But my Zanpakuto, Hyōrinmaru, is the strongest of the ice and snow Zanpakuto. You were foolish to have underestimated me."

Hitsugaya looked up to see that the others were all busy with their battles to have noticed him. The others were still being held captive by Luppi, Yammy was battling Urahara, while the odd Arrancar was nowhere to be seen. It looked like Luppi was attempting to kill Rangiku again. Needing to act fast, Hitsugaya flew over to Luppi, where he freed his teammates and used his powers to encase Luppi in a block of ice. With that, he deactivated his Bankai.

( _ **A/N: Sorry if this seems like lazy writing but it's just that I rather not go in depth Hitsugaya's battle with Luppi. Since Sora is covered in ice, he won't interfere in that battle so nothing really changes.**_ )

"Captain!" Rangiku called out, wanting to see if her captain was okay. Much to her relief, he was. "Thank you. But what about the masked man?"

"He won't be a problem anymore," Hitsugaya told her. "I froze him before I intervened."

However, they all suddenly sensed a large amount of energy emanating from somewhere. Looking down, their eyes widened when the noticed Hitsugaya's ice prison glowing with light. The whole ice was vibrating until it final burst, freeing Sora, who's arms were spread out.

Panting, he looked up at Hitsugaya and the others. "Man, Aizen was right. I shouldn't have let my guard down. Won't make that mistake again."

Hitsugaya frowned. Somehow that mysterious fighter had escaped his ice prison. But he had used so much power that no normal person would be able to escape it. Just what were they up against?

"We need to take him back to the Soul Society!" Hitsugaya said. "Leave him to me!"

The young Soul Reaper jumped into the air, his sword raised "Rain over the frosted frozen sky! Hyōrinmaru!" He called out and, with a swing of his sword, a large iced Chinese Dragon came out of flew towards Sora.

"Whoa!" Sora gasped as he jumped out of the way to avoid the ice dragon. He was shocked to see the result as the battle ground was completely covered with ice. Tōshirō swung his swung his sword several times, which unleashed several waves of ice at him. Sora did his best to dodge all those attacks, but when one of them appeared too close, Sora blocked it with his Keyblade. However, the ice completely covered his Keyblade.

The spiky-haired boy was surprised as he saw his weapon encased in ice. But it wasn't in issue as with one swing, the ice instantly shattered. However, he had been so distracted by it that he failed to notice the white-haired captain in front of him. Before Sora could react, he saw that Tōshirō wrapped his right arm with the chain of his sword. Then, to Sora's horror, his entire right arm began freezing solid.

"As I stated before, Hyōrinmaru has the ability that allows me to control water and ice. Even parts of it is enough to freeze anyone solid." Hitsugaya stated.

The Keybearer gritted his teeth as he saw the ice slowly spreading throughout his arm. If he didn't do anything soon, his whole body would be frozen. Seeing, Hitsugaya near him, Sora switched his Keyblade to his other hand and directed it in front of Hitsugaya. The captain's eyes widened when he saw it glow. He had no choice but to use Flash Step and dodge a lightning attack that Sora unleashed. That also caused the chain to unravel around Sora, freeing his arm.

The Keyblade wielder examined his arm. The damage wasn't too big but if it had gone any longer, he would've developed frostbite. Though he didn't have time to worry about that. Right now, he decided to focus on the battle at hand.

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and raised his sword. "Hyōrinmaru!" The white-haired captain unleashed a total of five ice dragons at Sora.

Sora began jumping all around as he avoided all the trails of ice. Since he preferred ice attacks, Sora decided to give him a taste of his medicine. " _Waterza!_ " Sora launched a large torrent of water at the captain. However, right before they came in contact, the captain jab his sword into and the water suddenly froze in seconds.

"What the! The water froze!" The spiky-haired boy said in shock. It was like the ice had been nullified the moment it neared him.

"Perhaps I should also clarify that my Zanpakutō also allows me to control water and turn it into ice." The white-haired captain explained, having heard Sora's comment.

Sora narrowed his eyes. So, ice has no effect on him. Sora thought about the options he still had until one came to mind. " _If ice and water won't cut it, then maybe I should turn the heat up instead_."

" _Firaza!_ " Suddenly, Sora fired a torrent of flame aimed directly at Tōshirō. The Ice-based captain used Hyōrinmaru to summon several ice dragons. However, to his horror, they all melted as soon as they were struck by the fire. Left opened, Hitsugaya was struck hard, leaving a scorch mark on his chest and one on his right arm.

The captain gritted his teeth in pain, but what was currently on his mind was how this strange person was able to melt his ice. His ice was so powerful that the only flames powerful enough to melt it would have to be Head-Captain Yamamoto's flames. Just how powerful is he?

His musing was interrupted when he saw Sora charging straight at him. He shook off his head and decided he needed to focus on his battle. He used Flash Step to appear in front of Sora, where the two warriors were resorting to rapid sword techniques. Hitsugaya clearly had experience but Sora was well trained enough to match his skills. The two kept at it until they were locked in a standstill, were Hitsugaya decided to ask. "Tell me something, Sora was it, what is that weapon you're wielding?"

"It's called a Keyblade." Sora replied, causing Hitsugaya's eyes to widen. He jumped a few feet away from his opponent after what he heard. " _A Keyblade wielder, the same ones the Head-Captain informed us about._ " He thought. He was informed of this when he was promoted to captain seven years ago. To be honest, he found the story to be unbelievable but knew the Head-Captain wasn't the type to lie. While he remained skeptical, seeing one right before him was enough to add credibility to the Head-Captains claim.

Still, one thing Tōshirō recalled was that the weapon Sora was wielding was considered very powerful as well as their wielder. " _Even with my Shikai, this person, Sora, is clearly at the level of a Captain, maybe even an Espada._ " He was thinking of a strategy to go by. There was only one that came to mind. " _I guess I have no choice. It's time to end this fight once and for all._ "

Suddenly, the whole sky started to turn gray and the air got even colder. "What's he doing?" Sora wondered aloud. He saw that the captain closed his turquoise eyes his spirit energy got even higher. Sora's eyes widen, he knew what he was going to do.

"Bankai! _Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!_ "

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the spectators had been watching the battle with anticipation. While the captain was holding his own, this person, Sora, proved to be no pushover either. Their eyes widened when Hitsugaya entered his Bankai state.

"I can't believe it." Rangiku said. "My captain having to resort to Bankai."

Yumichika could understand her nervousness since he was feeling the same. "This guy can fight toe-to-toe with a captain and he's not even an Arrancar.'

Ikkaku narrowed his eyes at Sora. From what he saw, this Sora character wasn't even using half his strength when they fought. "Then what exactly is he?" he said to no one in particular.

* * *

"What the heck's going on with the weather!" Sora said in shock as the Captain continued to come at him.

" _Hyōryū Senbi_!" Tōshirō shouted as he swung his sword in a linear direction, which created an overflowing ice from his blade in the form of a crescent. Sora barely dodged that attack but saw the outcome as the area where he swung was completely covered in ice.

The white-haired captain wasn't finished yet as he glared at the Keyblade wielder. " _Zekku_!" He began sending the ice from Hyōryū Senbi, which started surging after his opponent. Sora used reflect to protect himself the iced shards, which sent them back at Hitsugaya. Obviously, since ice didn't affect him, the ice immediately dissolved.

The captain launched forward and delivered series of sword strikes, but Sora kept blocking them. But one particular strike was powerful enough to send Sora flying to the ground bellow. Luckily, Sora cast Aeroza at the last second to soften the impact and send Tōshirō flying away.

Sora got up from the small crater and shot back up to the sky. He performed Sonic Blade, but Tōshirō blocked all the attacks that came at him, though he used his ice wing to block the final one, however, it was powerful enough to shatter his wing. Sora smiled, believing he succeeded in crippling his Bankai. However, to his surprise, the ice wing had regenerated.

"You seem surprised." Hitsugaya stated. "I should let you know that as long as there is water in the air, my Bankai can be revived indefinitely." Then, he froze the water in the air until it created two blocks of ice. " _Guncho Tsurara_!" Swinging his sword in a wide arc, the blocks shattered and formed an array of ice daggers that were heading straight for the Keyblade wielder.

 **"Shotlock Max: Ragnarok!** " Sora fired several beams of light that destroyed some of the ice daggers. There were a few stray ones that managed to hit him, which left a few cuts on his body. There was one ice dagger that was lodged in his left shoulder. Sora took it out, which drew some blood and caused him to grunt in pain.

The spiky-haired boy sensed a presence behind him turned around the instant he felt that, but was too late. Tōshirō was right behind and used his Zanpakutō to freeze Sora's arm and Keyblade. The Keybearer tried to break the ice but only to see that his entire body was being covered with ice a lot faster than before.

"I'll admit, you proved yourself a worthy opponent, Sora. However, you have no chance of victory now. You gave me plenty of time to prepare."

Just then, Hitsugaya created many ice pillars, which began encircling around both him and Sora. Hitsugaya then turned his sword 90 degrees counter-clockwise, which prompted all the ice pillars to move towards Sora. Sora soon began to feel the intense cold has he was enveloped in the crushing ice.

The white-haired captain walked away from the frozen Keyblade wielder, with his eyes closed, and said. "Normally, that ice would have been enough to kill you. However, there are still answers I need from you. So, you will soon be sent to the Soul Society where you will face interrogation. But I doubt you will ever see your comrades again."

* * *

From within his ice prison, Sora was struggling to break out of the ice that covered him. But this one proved to be more durable than the previous one. No matter hard he tried, he was unable to break free.

" _C'mon! there has to be some way to get out of this_!" Sora thought frantically. However, as seconds passed, he started to feel that his whole body was going numb, most likely from the intense coldness. His tried to let out a scream but the ice prevented his mouth from moving. Just then, the spiky-haired boy felt his consciousness slip away.

" _No…this can't be how it end_." Sora thought.

"Then don't let it."

Sora's eyes snapped open as his vision turned white. What was standing before him was the same cloaked figure from his earlier battle with Nnoitra.

"Don't let yourself submit to defeat, Sora." The woman said, giving a warm smile. "After all, don't you have people waiting for you."

Sora's eyes widen when heard that. Immediately, several people flashed in his mind. Riku, Kairi, his friends from the island, the friends he made in Traverse Town, Namine, and most importantly the friends he made in Las Noches. "That's right. I won't give up!" Sora said determinedly, "I promised to myself that I would return to Las Noches safely. And when this war is over, I'll head back to the Destiny Islands and reunite with my friends. No matter what happens…I WON'T GIVE UP!"

The cloaked woman smiled, "Then take my hand." She held her hand out. Sora was hesitant but then grabbed it. This caused an intense amount of power to surge all throughout his body.

* * *

Outside the ice prison, Hitsugaya was observing what was left of the battle. Urahara and Yammy were still fighting each other. The others, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika were tending to their own injuries while the strange blond-haired Arrancar was, for some reason, playing with a Dragonfly. The Espada Luppi was still trapped in his other ice prison. Seeing that this fight needed to end, the captain was about to rush over and assist his Urahara when he felt an explosion behind him.

"What the hell?" The white-haired captain turned to see what had happened. To his horror, his ice prison was destroyed and he saw smoke surrounding the area. When the smoke cleared, the spiky-haired boy was seen wielding two Keyblades, to his surprise. They were the Kingdom Key and Starlight Keyblades.

Sora looked the captain with a hardened expression. "All right now it's my turn!" Sora then united his Keyblades together, which began glowing simultaneously.

" _ **Formchange: Guardian Form!**_ " He shouted as he himself was engulfed in the light. " _ **Counter Shield!**_ " When the light faded, Hitsugaya looked to see that Sora's Keyblades had become a signal shield with a lightning bolt symbol. His clothes also became yellow with a checkered diamond pattern on his pants.

Sora had entered _Guardian Form_. Belonging to a category known as _Formchanges_ that allowed Sora to manipulate his Keyblade into any form of weaponry.

"This power, I feel it. Just like the last time." Sora said to himself. "I don't know how long I can keep it up so I better make the most of it." He shot up towards Hitsugaya, who prepared himself for an attack.

The white-haired captain brought his sword down but Sora reacted fast enough to bring his shield up, blocking it. However, the collision created a power shock wave the spread across the battlefield. Unknown to Hitsugaya, the symbol on the Counter Shield glowed brightly.

The captain gritted his teeth and swung his sword at the Keblade wielder, but Sora merely blocked all those attacks with no effort, with the shield glowing strongly.

The two resorted to a straight up fight again. But this time, Hitsugaya was now having a harder time braking through Sora's defense. Sora also showed that his shield could be used for more than defense, as he delivered several offensive attacks by spinning the shield spins against the captain, causing damage.

The captain brushed it off and fired another round of ice projectiles. This time, Sora took a strong stance and when the ice came closer, he was ready.

" _Wrathful Fist!_ " Suddenly, a large, magical arm and fist emerged from the shield and destroyed all the ice in one attack. Shocked, Tōshirō saw Sora charging straight forward. He created an ice wall to defend against that attack, however, Sora could use it more then once.

" _Wrathfull Flurry!_ " Several arms were produced and rapidly punched the ice wall till it shattered, leaving Tōshirō to be bombarded by the attack.

Hitsugaya was sent flying but recovered, though he coughed up a bit of blood and his torso was bruised. The white-haired Soul Reaper retaliated by using Guncho Tsurara, once again. However, Sora stood still and waited for the attack. Then, winding-up his arm, Sora tossed his shield as it rapidly span around releasing lightning attacks as it destroyed all the ice shards.

The battle continued. As they dueled, Hitsugaya could see that while Sora lack a refined training style, he clearly made up for it was his strength, tenacity, and resourcefulness. This new form also certainly increased his power to the point where Sora defense was practically impenetrable and destroyed all his ice attacks like they were nothing. Though perhaps some of his stronger attacks would be useful.

" _I think I've seen enough to figure out that form_." Hitsugaya thought. " _This new form drastically increases Sora's defense, stamina, durability, and control lightning to an extent. In addition, it can also absorb the power of my attack and unleash that power with greater force. If my attacks won't work then I might have to use_ _Hyōten Hyakkasō._ _A technique I was hoping to avoid_."

Hitsugaya snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Sora dashing towards him and started to attack with powerful shield combo attacks. Hitsugaya did his best to attack, dodge and block the attacks with his Zanpakutō. Soon, Sora unleashed a powerful combo where he summoned a ring of orbs that surrounded the captain.

" _Lightning Circle!_ " The orbs then rained down thunderbolts that struck him, causing him scream at the high-voltage attack. The white-haired captain stopped himself from falling but panted heavily from exhaustion.

Sora raised his shield, preparing for a final attack. However, he fumbled after taking one step and noticed his breathing was starting to get heavy.

" _What's…going on?_ " Sora thought. " _My…breathing feels…_ "

Hitsugaya analyzed the situation before realizing. " _So, that's it. This form grants him immense power. However, the drawback is that it consumes a large amount of energy and he can't hold it forever_." He readied his sword. " _Now's my chance._ "

"You should have surrendered when I asked you to." Hitsugaya said before charging straight ahead. "Now, it's over!"

Sora panted as he saw the captain beginning to close in. He knew that the next attack would be his last, so he had to make it count.

"This will be my last attack. I gotta time this right." He concentrated hard on the Ultimate Finisher he planned to use on the young captain. Then, Counter Shield began glowing bright with magic energy. Then, to Toshiro's shock, the shield transformed into a chariot, with reins and a Pegasus composed of magic energy.

Sora quickly got on the chariot and held the reins as the Pegasus charged straight at the ice dragon. Noticing the increase in power, Hitsugaya created five ice dragons. Directing his Zanpakuto, he sent the dragons flying straight towards Sora. With a final roar, both attacks collided, a surge of ice and lightning engulfing the area. The other Soul Reapers braced themselves to not be pushed away by the resulting clash of power.

When the shock wave ended, the others looked to see both opponents standing motionless. With high tension in the area, neither one moved a single muscle. However, to their shock, Hitsugaya collapsed, plummeting to the ground.

"Captain!" Rangiku cried. She and her comrades wondering what happened to him.

Sora smiled, glad that his final attack was a success. He slowly plummeted to the ground and dropped on his knees. He slowly turned to find Hitsugaya lying on the ground with his Zanpakutō at his side. His Bankai was gone as well.

Seeing his work was done, the spiky-haired boy's Counter Shield vanished, returning to his two Keyblades. Putting them away, he slowly limped away from the captain. "Looks like I win this fight."

Suddenly, he sensed three presences behind him. They were Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. They're Shikais out and ready to attack. "We'll help you, Captain!" Rangiku yelled. She, Ikkaku, and Yumichika shot forward at Sora. Rangiku tried to use her ash attack, while Ikkaku thrust his spear forward and Yumichika tried to cut Sora with his blades. Without even trying, Sora cast Aero that scattered the ashes away, he stepped aside and summoned his two Keyblades to slice Ikkaku's spear in half and to shatter Yumichika's blades upon contact. The three fighters looked at Sora in horror. That gave Sora the time to try out his new Hakuda skills. He grabbed Ikkaku's arm and threw him to the ground. He dealt a right-angled kick at Yumichika, sending him falling. He then disarmed Rangiku's bladeless hilt and dealt a powerful palm thrust to her stomach, knocking her down.

Seeing them defeated, he proceeded to walking away again. From where she was lying, Rangiku couldn't help but feel the dread in the atmosphere. This masked stranger managed to take everything they threw at him and still beat them easily. She knew there was only had one option left. Kidō.

Rangiku sat up and raised her hands to perform the spell, but Sora saw it coming. He fired a thunder attack at her to knock her out. Rangiku rolled over to dodge it and prepared to do the binding spell again.

But at that moment, an opening in the sky came. Sora looked and saw four Garagantas opening. Before Sora could say anything, he was caught in a golden beam of light that formed some kind of cube around him. He noticed that Yammy, Wonderweiss, and the ice prison were Luppi was at were there as well.

"A Negación!" Hitsugaya cried, having regained consciousness from Sora's attack.

Sora remembered Tōsen telling him about Negación, which meant they were being called back to Hueco Mundo. But why? Were they done fighting? Did Aizen need them for something?

But Sora's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Luppi's ice prison shattering.

"You weren't able to kill me, you see." He mocked. However, to his surprise, the Soul Reapers were covered in injuries. The captain was the one with the most. He wondered who could've done that. He looked over and saw Yammy next to Urahara and Wonderweiss standing off at the sidelines. Sora was the only one closets to them. It was obviously him who dealt with them. He narrowed his eyes in anger. He wanted to be the one to beat them.

Nevertheless, he shook it off and looked back at them. "Sora may have gone easy on you but I won't be that nice." He then looked at where Hitsugaya was. "Be sure not to forget my face. When we meet again I will have my revenge." His face then turned maniacal. "I will twist off your head! You and I shall meet again, Soul Reaper!" That was all he said before the Negación carried them away.

Sora looked down at the four Soul Reapers next to him. They were looking up at him in wonder and confusion. Sora waited until they were back in the Garaganta before removing his helmet. His head was so sweaty, he hoped he wouldn't have to wear that again. In all the excitement, he had failed to notice that Grimmjow was not among them.

Soon, they were back in Aizen's throne room. It almost seemed that they never left as Aizen and the others were still there. Aizen smiled at the four of them.

"Welcome back, everyone." He said to them. "Tell me, how was your trip in the World of the Living?"

"Tch." Luppi scoffed. "Sora got in the way."

Yammy laughed at Luppi. "Are you kidding?" He asked. "That white-haired captain beat you in an instant while Sora kicked his and all those other Soul Reaper's butts to the curve."

The other Esapda, who were present, began to talk amongst themselves. Sora had not only battled a captain, but defeat one along with his reinforcements.

"Is this true, Sora?" Aizen said, very interested. "You defeated Captain Hitsugaya along with his subordinates?"

"Well, he wasn't a pushover I'll give you that." Sora admitted. "His ice powers were impressive. If I had been careless, I would've lost."

"And you want to know what else?" Luppi asked everyone present. "At some point in the battle, he suggested we try and reason with the Soul Reapers."

That comment interested everyone. Sora could see that all the eyes of everyone in the room were him.

"Really?" Aizen asked as if amused.

"I know what they're doing is wrong." Sora said. "But that doesn't mean we have to resort to killing them. I'm sure if we just talked things over with them, we could prevent more people from dying."

"Sora." Tosen said to him. "You are a gentle spirit, but as Lord Aizen stated, the people of the Soul Soul have become far too corrupted and are beyond reason. Only be taking it down from the outside, can we achieve change."

"No!" Sora yelled. "I fought those Soul Reapers and while we were fighting I could feel that they were nothing like the ones you described." That was true. While fighting, Sora could see that Rangiku truly cared for her captain, the same way Halibel cared for her Fracciónes. "Besides, who gives us the right to say which people die or not."

"What of us then, Sora?" Zommari said. "The Soul Reapers have persecuted us for no reason! Do they have the right!?"

"They don't have a right!" Sora said sternly. "No one has the right! But you guys have let your hatred get to your heads that you don't even see that you've become no different than them!"

Hearing that dealt a strong hit on the Arrancar present. Most of the Espada, bearing Starrk, Halibel, and Szayelaporro (Ulquiorra was absent and Arronario's expression was uncertain due to his mask) were outraged by Sora's comment. This caused Baraggan to finally snap and backhanded Sora, much to everyone's surprise. The force was powerful enough to send Sora crashing to the wall of the throne room, leaving a large crack indentation.

"I've put up with your blasphemous nature for long enough!?" Baraggan yelled. "A weakling like you has no place among…"

Before he could finish, Baraggan felt a blade at the inch of his neck. He looked to see Starrk, with his sword drawn, clearly furious with Baraggan's action. Which was rare to see the First Espada show this level of emotion.

"You should think twice before you decide to attack an ally on my watch." Starrk said, his voice on edge.

Baraggan narrowed his eyes. "You have something to say Starrk?!"

Suddenly, the top two Espada sensed Halibel's spiritual pressure raise slowly. They turned to see her with her sword unsheathed. Although her face was covered, all could see the raw fury in her eyes. She clearly was also angered at Baraggan's recent action.

"You have allowed your superiority complex to get the better of you." She said, with a quiet voice that sounded like a calm before a storm. "Perhaps I should make it clear that if you wish to proceed further, you'll have to contend with me."

Baraggan was past his breaking point. "You two would defend him?" Baraggan roared in outrage. "You would defend a worthless human!?"

Starrk moved away and joined Halibel at her side, signifying that he would have to go threw them to get to Sora. Baraggan gritted his teeth and suddenly he began releasing red colored spiritual energy. Starrk and Halibel did the same only the former was blue and the latter was yellow.

Some of the lower ranked Espada began backing off, not wanting to be caught in a confrontation with the top three Espada. However, before anything could happen, all three of them were suddenly blasted by a crushing power, causing them to drop to their knees. Everyone turned and saw that it was Aizen, using his Spiritual Pressure. His expression betrayed no one.

"Cease this at once." He ordered in a quiet voice similar to Halibel's own. "It seems that you three have forgotten the rules I laid out for Las Noches."

Panicking, Halibel turned and bowed deeply, requesting for forgiveness. "Please forgive us, sir. It will not happen again."

Aizen said nothing for a moment before he returned his energy to normal, the three slowly returning to their feet. "If this happens again, I will have all of you removed from the Espada."

Starrk and Halibel sighed. They barely got out of that one. Aizen then turned to Baraggan. "As for you, Baraggan. I believe I made it clear that anyone who harmed Sora would be justly punished."

"He is a worthless human!" Baraggan roared, seemingly overcome with madness. "He should never have been here to begin with!"

Aizen looked at Baraggan coldly. "Starrk, Halibel. You may tend to Sora. I will deal with Baraggan."

Starrk nodded. "We will."

Halibel bowed. "Thank you, Lord Aizen."

Starrk and Halibel turned to see Sora getting up and rubbing his head. His forehead was bleeding. And his body was slightly bruised and sore, though that had been from his earlier battle. Still, he heard everything that was going on. While he was grateful that Starrk and Halibel came to his defense he heard Baraggan say how he should never have been here. Truth be told, he was starting to feel the same way. Grimmjow losing an arm, everyone's lack of morality, and this. He was wondering what was he even fighting for.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Starrk pick him up. "C'mon Sora, let's go."

"It's okay, Sora." Harribel said in a gentle voice. "You'll be fine."

* * *

Sora did not say anything as he followed Starrk and Halibel out of the throne room. They lead him down the hall and arrived at the chamber of the medic Arrancar. The room looked like the place he woke up when he arrived in Las Noches. The medic said that his injuries weren't too severe, however, he will have to rest for a week. As soon as the medic left, Halibel's Fracciónes and Lilynette came rushing in, having heard of the events in the throne and freaked out when they saw Sora wrapped in bandages.

"Oh God!" Lilynette shrieked. "Sora, are you alright!?"

"What the hell happened!?" Apacci asked, feeling the same.

"Who did it, Sora?" Mila Rose asked. Sora didn't know what to say but Halibel decided to answer.

"Baraggan" Halibel said coldly.

"He did this?" Sung-Sun asked, her anger growing.

"Sora…said somethings back in the throne room." Starrk explained. "He got mad and attack him."

"That old fart did this!" Lilynette said enraged.

"That jerk!" Apacci yelled. "He's probably jealous of the fact that Sora's way better than he is."

"I knew that old geezer hated everyone." Mila Rose said. "But I never thought he'd antagonize Sora."

"He didn't want to accept the fact that Sora is more valuable than he will ever be." Sung-Sun said.

Lilynette nodded in agreement before looking at Sora's injuries. "How bad did he rough you up?" She asked.

"Actually, all Baraggan did was knock me away." Sora clarified. "I got these injuries during my mission."

"Oh, that's right." Mila Rose remembered Sora's mission. "You went on a mission to Karakura Town with the other Espada."

"How'd it go?" Apacci asked.

"Sora defeated a captain." Starrk said bluntly. Much like in the throne room, all the girls stared at Sora in awe.

"For real!" Lilynette shrieked. "You actually beat a captain!?"

Sora chuckled. "Well, like I said, he was no pushover. I say that fight could've gone either way."

"Still, the captains are powerful enough to fight an Espada." Sung-Sun pointed out. "It's an impressive feat to actually defeated one."

"You just keep getting stronger." Mila Rose said.

Sora laughed before smiling. "Well, it's not like I'm physically strong. It only helps when I have something worth fighting for."

"That would be…" Halibel wondered curiously.

Sora looked at all his Arrancar friends. "The friends I wanted to return to."

It was obvious that he was referring to them. So, Sora had fought for their sakes to. Not that they had a problem with it, as everyone, even Starrk and Halibel, smiled at Sora. It was nice to have someone they could feel connected to.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Soul Society. Within the Seireitei lies the headquarters of the Soul Reapers. In the barracks of Squad 1, nine Soul Reaper captains were currently lined up.

Facing them all was an old man with red eyes, a very long white beard, and long eyebrows. There are many scars that went over his head, the two most prominent being a pair of long, perpendicular scars located above his right eye. He wore the standard Soul Reaper uniform, but it appeared more larger than the average uniform. He draped his haori over his back instead of actually wearing it. This man was none other than Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Captain of Squad 1 and the Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squad. He looked at all his fellow captains, whom he had called together to discuss a very important matter that occurred a few hours ago.

"Now, the reason I have called this meeting is because Captain Hitsugaya has given me his latest report." He told his fellow captains. "It would seem that Sōsuke Aizen has gained a new and mysterious ally."

The captains paid close attention as they listened to Head-Captain Yamamoto's words. "This ally is confirmed not to be an Arrancar nor Soul Reaper, for Captain Hitsugaya's advance team did not sense any spiritual pressure from him. This mysterious person however, proved to be more formidable as he was able to defeat Captain Hitsugaya and his entire team all by himself."

Now this really got everybody's attention. That team consisted of a captain, lieutenant, and two of the most powerful fighters in Squad 11. And one person was able to beat all of them.

"However, Captain Hitsugaya has also informed me of the possibility that this fighter was not even using his full power during their battle." The Head-Captain informed.

This news certainly excited one particular captain. He was a tall, muscular Soul Reaper with a wild and aggressive appearance. He had a long face with pronounced cheekbones, and pronounced, hairless brow ridges. He had green eyes and long, stringy black hair, with small bells attached to the tips. A noticeable trait in his appearance is a long, thin scar running down the left side of his face and across his left eye. In addition to the standard Soul Reaper uniform, he wore white bandages across his midsection and a sleeveless captain's haori, which has a ragged look to it. He also wore a black eyepatch over his right eye. This man was none other then Kenpachi Zaraki, the Captain of Squad 11, who lived for the thrill of battle.

"This guy sure sounds like fun." He said grinning, clearly eager to fight this new person. "I got to get to Hueco Mundo."

This earned him an annoyed look from another captain. A relatively petite woman with gray eyes and black hair. Her hair was worn short with two long braids bound in white cloth, each ending in a large golden ring. She wore a traditional Shinigami captain's uniform with a sleeveless haori and a yellow obi tied around her waist. However, instead of wearing the standard Shinigami sandals with tabi, she wore traditional Chinese shoes with ordinary white socks. Her name was Suì-Fēng, the Captain of Squad 2, who was also one of the strictest captains.

"You're always off to go on some pointless fight, aren't you, Zaraki?" Suì-Fēng said.

Another captain was also excited. This one had the most peculiar appearance. He wore face paint that had a black cross upon the center of his face covering everything but his nose and a small portion of his lower chin. He wore ear attachments that were shorter and rounder and wider, his chin had a long golden attachment reminiscent of an Egyptian Pharaoh beard, his teeth were of golden color, and had a golden frame around his face. His hair was also styled into "horns," that slope down from the top of his head and framed his face, which when viewed from the front, looked much like a Pharaoh's crown. His name was Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the Captain of Squad 12, who enjoyed on experimenting on…well everything.

He smiled in joy, wanting to get his hands on this new individual. "I say we should all go to Hueco Mundo right now. I'm sure this new player would make an excellent test subject."

"There is something else Captain Hitsugaya informed me of." Yamamoto continued, causing everyone to stop talking and listen. "According to Captain Hitsugaya and his team, this masked warrior displayed extreme reluctance to kill anyone and even prevented his Espada companions from doing so. His team believed that he was intent on reasoning with us."

This earned a response from a man with slate gray eyes and long black hair, which he kept up in intricate white headpieces called kenseikan, with three worn on top of his head and another two on the right side. In addition to the standard captain uniform, he wore a white scarf made from silver-white, windflower light silk. He also wore fingerless white tekkō which only cover the back of his hands. He was known as Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of Squad 6 and the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan.

"A deception, no doubt was fabricated by Aizen to lower our guard." Byakuya said.

One captain begged to differ. He was a tall man with a somewhat emaciated appearance. He had long, white hair that reached his waist. He wore it parted on the left side with one long piece that fell over his right eye. He had green eyes. He wore the common Soul Reaper uniform with a long-sleeved captain's haori, and a crimson lining. He wore a narrow white obi, in which he secured his Zanpakutō. His name was Jūshirō Ukitake, the Captain of Squad 13.

"Maybe not." Ukitake said. "For all we know, there could be those on Aizen's side who disagree with the war and wish for a peaceful resolution."

"Highly unlikely." Yamamoto stated, as if his words alone would make it true.

One captain couldn't help but disagree. He was a tall, light-skinned Soul Reaper with high cheekbones, grey eyes and long wavy brown hair. His hair was tied in a long ponytail and had long bangs that framed the left side of his face. He also had a noticeable amount of body hair on his chest, feet, and arms. His appearance was different from the other captains, as he wore a Sugegasa straw hat and a pink, flowered lady's kimono, which he draped across his shoulders and over his captain's uniform. Although he wore a haori and obi sash, his head was also decorated with pin-wheel hairpins. He did not wore a tabi with his sandals. He had thin facial hair around his mouth and on his cheeks. His name was Shunsui Kyōraku, the Captain of Squad 8 and Ukitake's best friend.

"Well, you never know." He admitted.

"I don't care whose side he's on." Kenpachi said. "All I care about is seeing how good he can fight."

"I'm personally looking forward to conducting several experiments I have in store for him." Mayuri said with glee.

Before they could argue further, Yamamoto cleared his throat. "There is one more thing Captain Hitsugaya mentioned." Everyone listened. "He has reason to believe this person could be a…" He never had a chance to finish, because suddenly…

"Hey! You two are not allowed in there." Said someone standing outside the room. Then, the doors slid open, revealing an elderly old man and an odd looking mouse.

Based on the strange clothing they wore, they could tell neither of them were from the Soul Society. But what really shocked them was the fact that they hadn't even sensed them coming. Everyone, except Yamamoto, all went into fighting stances.

"Who the hell are you two?" Suì-Fēng asked.

The older man looked directly at Yamamoto. "It has been a long time…my old friend."

Everyone turned to see Yamamoto with a shocked expression, which was rare since he was the most composed. Unknown to them, Yamamoto knew the elderly man. He had met him once, approximately seven years ago.

"Yen Sid."

* * *

Sora finally recovered. He could see that everyone in the room was all asleep, even Halibel. He looked over and saw Lilynette laying her head on top his bed, having fallen asleep beside him. Quietly and gently, he got up from the bed as to not wake her up. Sora quietly tiptoed across the room to leave. He stopped for a moment to look back at everyone. He smiled, seeing how peaceful they were before leaving. Even though everyone here weren't the nicest, he was still glad to have made friends like them. He wished their time together would last forever.

Walking down the hallways, Sora noticed one of the doors opening. Walking out of the room was none other than Ulquiorra. Curious, Sora went over to greet him, but the fourth Espada simply ignored him and continued walking. Deciding not to bother with him, Sora instead chose to enter the room he just exited out of. Inside, the room was particularly plain. It had accommodations with a couch on one side and a window that showed the moon hanging over. Sora was about to leave but he saw somebody in the room.

It was a girl with orange hair, who looked no older than him, and wearing some kind of school uniform like the one he saw the High Schoolers wear. She was busy gazing up at the moon through the window that she had not noticed him coming in.

"Hello. Can you hear me?" Sora said, causing the girl to yelp and turned around, with eyes filled with fright. However, when she saw Sora, her eyes went wide with amazement and stared at him with her mouth slightly open.

Sora was just as surprised to see a human girl, who was here of all places. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he said walking over to her. "I had no idea there was another human here. This is great."

The girl was uncomfortable for a moment but decided to reply. "Well…I just got here recently."

This got Sora's attention. "You did? How did you get here?"

The girl appeared hesitant at first but explained. "I…was…brought here. I was told that my powers were needed, so I came. But I had no idea that I would get to see another human again."

Sora smiled at her then held out his hand. "Well, how about we introduce ourselves. My name's Sora. Nice to meet you."

The girl smiled. Unknown to him, Sora was also the name of a special person she had. She shook Sora's hand and bowed politely.

"It's nice to meet you, Sora. My name's Orihime Inoue."

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: For this chapter, I still kept the scenes such as some bonding time with Sora and Tōsen and the Captain meeting. I hoped you enjoyed the battle between Sora and Hitsugaya, especially after I brought back the Formchange ability. I know that the Formchange power depends on the Keyblade you earn but since Sora does not have those, I compensated by giving Sora the power to merge his two Keyblades into a different weapon. However, Sora will only use one transformation per form.**_

 _ **Guardian Form: Counter Shield**_

 _ **Strike Form: High Wind and Storm Flag**_

 _ **Element Form:**_ ** _Double Arrowguns and Magic Launcher_**

 ** _Blitz Form: Blizzard Claws and Blizzard Blades_**

 ** _I was going to include Hyper Hammer and Drill Punch for Strike Form but I like the Wheel of Fate Keyblade better. As for Ultimate Form, I will include it, but I'll just say that you won't be seeing it anytime soon. Rage Form will also make it's return but merged with another form that was born form Sora's darkness_**

 _ **Next Time: Yen Sid and Mickey journey to the Soul Society to seek aid from the Soul Reapers. Meanwhile, Aizen prepares his next move against the Soul Reapers.**_

 _ **Until then, please leave a review and don't flame.**_


	11. Keyblade Wielders and Soul Reapers!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Anyways, here's the eleventh chapter. I hope you'll read and enjoy. Also, I do NOT own Bleach and Kingdom Hearts.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 11: "Keyblade Wielders and Soul Reapers! Journey to Hueco Mundo!"**_

(Flashback)

Back at the Mysterious Tower, on the top floor were only a few occupants. Master Yen Sid was seen sitting down behind his desk while Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were standing in front of him. For a while now, Yen Sid had his eyes closed as he was concentrating heavily on a strange phenomenon that he managed detect not too long ago. Mickey was looking at his former teacher with an anxious expression. Donald and Goofy were looking at him just the same but were also curious about what the old master had found out.

Since splitting up a month ago, the Disney trio have done what they could to find Sora but, much like the others, also had very little success. However, after Riku informed them of their recent visit to Radiant Garden and the signal the data reacted to came from Naminé, Yen Sid had been communicating with the stars more frequently for answers. Mickey couldn't help but feel that his old master had a hunch as to where Sora may have been sent to. Now, Yen Sid made a discovery and asked for Mickey and the others to report to the Mysterious Tower to be informed.

Curious, Mickey asked, "Master Yen Sid, were you able to find Sora?"

Without another word, the retired Keyblade Master got up from his chair and turned his back at the others to look out the window. After a few seconds of silence, he then spoke. "I have spoken with the stars recently and came to a discovery. About an hour ago, I managed to locate Sora's presence."

After hearing, the Disney Trio looked up in surprise. Mickey smiled excitedly and asked. "Gosh, then that means you found Sora!"

"And if Sora is there then Kairi is there with him." Goofy cheered.

"Oh boy!" Donald cheered. "Do you know where he are?"

Yen Sid turned around and gave a grim look on his face, which worried them. "Yes…I know of the world where Sora is, or was. I only sensed his presence for a short time until it disappeared."

"Gawrsh, so do you know where he is, Master Yen Sid?" Goofy asked.

Yen Sid contemplated for a moment before answering with a serious expression. "Before I answer, first I must inform you about the aspects of that world. The world where Sora is differs no differently than the worlds we protect. However, in that world lies the passage to a separate domain, one that none of you here, except for myself, have ventured before. It is known as…the Soul Society."

The others looked confused at what Yen Sid said. Wondering what he meant and what the world was, Donald was the one who spoke first. "Master Yen Sid, what is the Soul Society?"

The old master replied. "The Soul Society is a world unlike any you three have come across. The Soul Society is a world that is a home for souls of the recently departed. The afterlife you may refer to it."

"The afterlife." Goofy said, surprised. "You mean, it's a beyond the grave?"

Yen Sid nodded. "You may refer to it as such. Because it is a world for the departed souls, no ordinary being can come into the Soul Society without leaving their body in the World of the Living. The Soul Society also exist in a separate dimension, which is the reason why I could not locate Sora's presence throughout the ocean between worlds."

"You mean you found Sora at the Soul Society?" Donald asked.

Mickey looked in thought for a moment, until he became startled as he quickly asked. "Wait a minute, if it's a world for the departed, then does that mean that…Sora's-?"

Yen Sid raised his hand to silence his former apprentice. "Sora was located at the living world that coincides with the Soul Society. And I have learned that there are special humans who possess the capability of detecting spirits and have crossed over to the Soul Society. With the power of the Keyblade, I'm positive that Sora is safe from harm."

That relieved everyone, however, Mickey recalled something his master said. "Master, you said that you once went to the Soul Society before. Why did you go there?"

Yen Sid looked to see everyone directed their attention towards him. He took a moment before turning to face Mickey and the others. "What I am about to inform all of you is important, you should pay close attention. Approximately seven years ago…there was a crisis occurring in the World of the Living. As a result, I was summoned to the Soul Society to aid them."

The Disney Trio were surprised to hear this. They wondered for what reason would he go there?

"When I arrived, I was greeted by the Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads."

"The Head-Captain?" Goofy said confused.

"13 Court Guard Squads" Mickey repeated.

"In the Soul Society, the 13 Court Guard Squads exist a military branch where they gather powerful souls known as Soul Reapers." The old master explained. "They act as the guardians and protectors of the Soul Society and it's denizens, similar to how we act as guardians of the world order."

"But how does he know about the Keyblade?" Donald asked.

"He and the captains have been aware of the Keyblade for generations. It was so that in the likelihood that they were to face a terrible crisis, then they would be ready to turn to the Keyblade wielders for support." Yen Sid explained.

"What was happening that he would need a Keyblade wielder?" Mickey asked.

Yen Sid continued his explanation. "Within the Soul Reapers base of organization, the Seireitei, there lies a barrier that protects the residents from invaders. However, seven years ago, a terrible event occurred. Many humans, all of whom possessed immense spiritual energy, met their ends through unnatural means. Today, I do not know what caused that devastation but whomever did possessed a tremendous amount of power to have achieved it through force. But the true issue is of the consequences. The barrier that protected the Soul Society began to weaken as a result of that power. Should the barrier be destroyed then that would leave them open for an attack by the Hollows, creatures that were created from the corrupted souls of the departed. Even with the help of their researchers, their spirit energy was not enough to stabilize the barrier. So, the Head-Captain chose to turn to an outside source."

"The Keyblade wielders." Mickey realized. Everyone remained silent as Yen Sid nodded before starting to speak again.

"After my arrival, the Head-Captain had informed me of the situation and asked if I could use my magic to repair the barrier, one powerful enough to prevent outsiders from ever invading their world."

"Garwsh, where you able to do it?" Goofy asked, becoming interested in the story.

"It was a difficult challenge." Yen Sid admitted. "But not impossible. I successfully repaired the barrier that the overwhelming power had weakened. The Head-Captain had been grateful that he promised he would one day repay his debt of gratitude to me."

That was an interesting story. Mickey decided to ask. "So, do you think Sora could be at the Soul Society?"

"Perhaps, but there is only one way to be sure." Suddenly, Yen Sid opened his drew and what he pulled out was a new Keyblade. The guard appeared to be two shooting stars, the blade is blue and decorated with stars, while the teeth is a crescent moon and a star. This was the Star Seeker Keyblade.

Yen Sid held the Star Seeker in his hand. This surprised everyone as he had never used his Keyblade in years.

"We cannot afford to wait around any longer." Yen Sid declared.

"Master Yen Sid?" Goofy and Donald said, questionably.

The old sorcerer then said. "Mickey, make contact Riku and the others. Inform them of what we have learned."

Mickey nodded his head in agreement as Donald walked up and said. "But what are you going to do."

Yen Side closed his eyes before saying. "I will go to the Soul Society myself. I will find the Head-Captain and inform him of this matter. Let us hope that he will be able to provide us with aid." He replied.

Everyone was caught off guard. Mickey shook his head, looking determined. "Master Yen Sid, I'm sorry but I can't let you do this alone. If someone truly was responsible for Sora's disappearance, then there is no doubt that he and Kairi might be in greater danger than we've realized. It's best if I go with you so we can better prepare for this."

Yen Sid looked at his former apprentice before replying. "Very well then. But remember to be one guard." The King nodded, turning to Donald and Goofy.

"We won't be gone long, fellas." He assured. "Can you two inform Riku and the others about what's happened?"

Donald and Goofy looked equally troubled, but had no reason to doubt their king. The two stood tall, looking serious.

"Your majesty!" Donald squawked.

"We understand sir! We'll let Riku and the others know." Goofy assured.

Mickey smiled at their worlds. "Thanks guys." He then summoned his Keyblade. It had the same shape as the Kingdom Key, with a gold handguard, and a blue blade patterned with stars similar to the Star Seeker. The rainguard had diamond-patterned bell shape, and handguard had five-pointed star designs on the top corners, while the bottom two had massive golden screws. Between the handle and the rainguard is a glass-like dome, deep blue and speckled white like a starry sky, and on the guard below the handle is a gold crescent moon. The teeth of the blade are silver, and the crown shape is lined. The Keychain has golden links connecting to a golden Hidden Mickey. This was the Kingdom Key W.

"Do you think the Head-Captain and his men will allow us to search for Sora?" Mickey asked his master

"We shall see." was all Yen Sid said.

"By the way, what is the Head-Captain's name?" The King asked.

"His name is Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto." The old master responded. Then, he and Mickey lifted their Keyblades and pointed it at a wall. Soon a beam of light came out of the two and soon a portal appeared on the wall.

"Farewell for now." Yen Sid spoke and the two slowly walked into the portal. As soon as they entered, the portal disappeared, leaving Donald and Goofy behind, both wishing them good luck.

* * *

(Present time)

Back at the Captain's meeting, all the other nine captains remained silent as Yamamoto stood there, listening and nodding his head as this man, Yen Sid, spoke. It was about half an hour after these two-odd people barrage into the meeting room. Things were a little tense at first, but after hearing that their leader was an acquaintance of the man in blue, they decided to let the two older men reestablish their old friendship and trust with one another.

They also learned that the strange mouse was named Mickey, who was an apprentice of the man named Yen Sid. Some of the captains felt surreal to meet another anthropomorphic animal, they only ever met one, who happened to be a fellow captain. Mickey was silent for the most part but stood in front to avoid any confrontations.

After they had finished, Byakuya decided to speak. "Tell us, why are you two here?"

Yen Sid replied. "Please forgive us for the sudden intrusion. The reason we came here was because we are in need your help."

Everyone was silent. These two needed their help?

Mayuri scoffed. "And what makes you think we'll go out of our way to help stragglers like you?"

"Now, now, Captain Kurotsuchi." A woman lightly scolded. She had the appearance of a slender and very youthful woman with blue eyes and black hair. She wore the standard Soul Reaper captain uniform apart from using an obi instead of the normal sash. Her hair was long and worn as a large braid down the front of her body. She was Retsu Unohana, Captain of Squad 4 and the Soul Society's best healer. "Head-Captain Yamamoto appears acquainted with him. We should at least listen to what he and his apprentice has to say."

Some agreed with Unohana, while Kenpachi and Mayuri couldn't care less. Suì-Fēng however, begged to differ.

"Head-Captain." She looked at him. "You're not considering listening to these Ryoka?"

"Silence!" He shouted, which was enough to cause her to obey. The old captain looked directly at Yen Sid. "While I enjoyed are chance to be reacquainted, however I'm afraid you chose to do so at the worse time. So, tell me what is it you desire?"

Everyone looked as the old sorcerer cleared his throat. "The reason for our intrusion is because we have a request. First, tell me, is it true several of your comrades encountered a boy with a key-shaped sword?"

That last question got Yamamoto's attention. Sure enough, Hitsugaya mentioned this masked stranger possessed a key-shaped sword. He was about to tell the other captains before the intrusion that this boy might be a…

"You seem to know a lot about this person." Suì-Fēng observed.

"We do." Mickey replied. "The boy you heard of is named of Sora. A human and great friend of ours."

"Sora?" asked another captain who stood out the most. He was an anthropomorphic wolf and the tallest among the captains. His fur was light-brown in color, which was the same color as his gloves. He also wore shoulder weights over his haori and large, plated boots instead of sandals. And he also wore a high collar, which had a similar build to his shoulder weights, the top of which was visible in his uniform. He was Saijin Komamura, Captain of Squad 7.

"A human?" Suì-Fēng asked with skepticism. "You can't be serious."

"You should know better than to judge by appearances." Yen Sid retorted.

"Then what sort of power does this boy possess?" Byakuya asked.

Yamamoto knew the moment of truth had come. He looked over to Yen Sid who nodded, signaling he would tell them. "Sora wields one of the most powerful weapons in all the worlds; the Keyblade."

All the other captain's eyes widen. The Keyblade. Why did that sound familiar? Suddenly, Ukitake just remembered.

"The Keyblade. I remember now." Ukitake said. "It's the weapon Head-Captain Yamamoto informed us of when we were promoted to captains."

Kyōraku nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's right. He also told us about other things to. Something about a kingdom of hearts and other worlds."

"Kingdom Hearts." Yen Sid corrected. "The heart of all worlds. The ultimate source of light."

"Yes. The Head-Captain informed us of that as well." Byakuya stated.

Suì-Fēng scoffed. Even though she knew the Head-Captain wouldn't lie about this, she was the type of person that had to see to believe. "What does that have to do with anything? I thought they all died out."

"That is not the whole truth." Yen Sid said. "Those that survived the Keyblade War swore to become the protectors of the world's order."

Mickey decided to take over "In this age, while there are few in numbers, we make up for that with the strength of our hearts."

Unohana realized something he said. "We? Does that mean…"

"The one's you see before you are Keyblade Wielders" Yamamoto confirmed.

Everyone's jaws dropped as soon as they heard that. They wondered who these people were but to think they were those ancient warriors.

Suì-Fēng shook her head. "That's impossible. How do we know they're even…" She was soon interrupted when the two masters summoned their Keyblades. All those, save for Yamamoto, grew silent as they looked at the weapons in awe. Mickey walked over to Suì-Fēng and held out his Keyblade. While hesitant, Suì-Fēng took the Keyblade and started taking a look at it while the other captains kept looking at the Keyblade. Suddenly, the Keyblade disappeared and returned to the King's hand.

"I sure hope that was proof enough for you." Mickey said.

"The legends are true." Komamura exclaimed.

"Huh." Kyōraku. "Never thought Old Man Yama would be right about something like this." He said, oblivious to the angry glare the Head-Captain was giving him.

Kenpachi looked at the the King. "Hey mouse." Said person looked at him. "Tell me, outta all you Keyblade Wielders, which one of you is the strongest."

Mickey looked confused. "Well…we are all strong in our own right but if I had to pick one, I would say Sora."

Kenpachi grinned. "You don't say." He said with interest. Now he really wanted to fight this Sora kid.

Mayuri however, never really believed in those fairy tales but after everything he saw and heard of Sora, he was now fantasizing of all the experiments he planned on doing. Now he wanted to go to Hueco Mundo.

Yamamoto decided to focus on the topic at hand. "Now that they know of the Keyblade, can you tell us of this boy named Sora?"

Yen Sid nodded. "A little over a month ago, Sora's had used the Power of Waking to search for a dear friend of his by the name of Kairi. Since that time, he has vanished and the rest of our comrades have been searching throughout the worlds but hadn't found a trace of where he could be. That was until an hour ago when I sensed Sora's presence in the World of the Living."

"We came to believe that Sora and Kairi have been in this world." Mickey revealed. "If you could help us find him, we'd really grateful."

All the captains looked at each other and then to the Head-Captain. Yamamoto nodded, deciding to tell them.

"I regret to inform you but neither of the two you named are not with us." Yamamoto said.

Yen Sid perked at this. "What do you mean? Where is he?"

The Head-Captain sighed. "Before I begin, let me explain to you about current events. Nearly two months ago, three of our captains, led by former Captain of Squad 5, Sōsuke Aizen, defected from the Soul Society. Together, they relocated to Heuco Mundo."

"Hueco Mundo?" Mickey repeated.

"Yes, the world of the Hollows. Aizen had stolen something from us before he left and has used it to create an army of Arrancar, Hollow that have gained Soul Reaper powers."

"What does he plan to do?" The King asked.

Everyone's expressions turned serious. Yamamoto continued. "By the start of this winter, he plans to use his forces to attack Karakura Town and create a Royal Key, known as the Ōken, to become the new Soul King."

Yen Sid's eyes widen as he heard this, as did the other Keyblade Masters. "No, the fool! To think he would go and commit such a heinous act. Much like how Kingdom Hearts guides the hearts of the physical worlds, the Soul King is meant to guide all the souls into and outside the Soul Society!"

"And with someone as malicious as Aizen, there is no telling what he plans to do with that power." Yamamoto finished.

"Why would he choose to attack a human city?" Mickey questioned.

"Allow me to explain." Ukitake stepped in, "In the month since Aizen defected, I was tasked with discovering what he had been researching and what I found was a document of how to create the Ōken."

"And what would be the materials necessary to forge the Ōken?" Yen Sid asked, though he had a feeling he wasn't going to like the answer.

Ukitake's expression turned dark. "In order to create the Ōken, one would need 100,000 souls and a Jūreichi, the enriched spirit zone, with a radius of half a spirit-mile. The enriched spirit zone changes location, however the current Jūreichi that Aizen has located in the Human World is…"

Yen Sid's eyes widened as he put the pieces together. "Karakura Town!"

Mickey was equally surprised. "But if he were to create the Ōken then all those people…"

"Will be wiped off the face of this world." Yamamoto finished.

The two Keyblade masters took in all this information. They never imagined someone would resort to such an evil and twisted method in order to fulfill his ambitions. This Aizen was just as bad as Xehanort, if not worse. "But what has become of Sora and Kairi?" Yen Sid asked.

Yamamoto explained. "We know nothing of this Kairi person, as for Sora, he was sighted in the World of the Living. From what Captain Hitsugaya described, we believe that this Sora has…joined forces with Aizen."

The Keyblade Masters eyes widen. Sora was working with that person.

The King shook her head in refusal. "No! There has to be a mistake. Sora would never help a person like this Aizen. He must have tricked."

"Please old friend. Tell us what happened when Sora confronted your allies. Did Sora say anything?" Yen Sid asked urgently. Everyone else paid attention to the oldest captain.

Yamamoto briefly nodded his head and said. "He had arrived at Karakura Town with four of his Arrancar allies. Captain Hitsugaya succeeded in defeating one of the Espada however, that's when he fought Sora and was defeated in battle. Before he left however, Sora had told him about something else."

"…What did Sora say?" Yen Sid asked.

The Head-Captain said. "He said that the Soul Society has fallen to darkness and corruption. Ignoring all the souls that still wander the World of the Living and antagonizing the Arrancar for no apparent reason."

"And I'm guessing the one who told him those lies was Aizen." Mickey put the pieces together, angered by the results. Hearing that, the Captains immediately understood the situation.

"Aizen…of course." Suì-Fēng scowled.

"So, like us, he's been deceiving that young boy as well." Unohana said sadly.

"What is his connection with Aizen? Is it possible that he joined together with him and his army of Arrancars of his own free will?" Byakuya questioned.

"That, or he could be just lying to him by saying that we're the evil ones in this war, like Captain Hitsugaya said." Kyōraku helpfully replied.

"If that's true, then how did he did come to Hueco Mundo? And how could he have come in contact with Aizen in the first place?" Komamura asked.

"Tsk. Like I said, who cares whose side he's on. If he's really on Aizen's side, then that means I'll get to fight that Sora kid." Kenpachi grinned excitedly.

"That also means he's technically fair game and if he chooses to fight against us then I could begin dissecting him with no repercussion." Mayuri said.

"Still, the possibility that he is on Aizen's side worries me. Sora was able to defeat Captain Hisugaya and three members of his advanced team. If he and Aizen are allied with one another, then all of us could be in serious trouble if we happened to face him ourselves in the coming battle." Ukitake spoke, serious.

Everyone else was greatly disturbed at that possibility when Ukitake said this. Yamamoto had enough of this when he slammed his cane on the floor, creating a loud boom in the process.

"That's enough, all of you. This is not the time to be making speculations!" Yamamoto scolded. He turned to his old friend and said. "Yen Sid, perhaps you should explain to about Sora personality wise. What do you feel about this?"

Everyone directed their attention at the old Keyblade Master. Yen Sid stood with his eyes closed and arms crossed, thinking of the situation. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said. "Sora possess a typical brave and heroic personality, willingly risk his life for people he has yet to know. He is extremely loyal to his friends, and has been shown to be very forgiving to those who have done wrong in the past. He is highly optimistic, choosing to think positively throughout his journeys and despite being upbeat, brash, and simple minded at times, he has a strong sense of justice. Sora has also had a strong impact on those around him, having made new attachments with everyone and sees the good before the bad in them. Sora's bright personality has brought new strength to his friends even in the worst of times."

All the captains remained silent as they heard all this. Sure enough, this Sora kid sounded interesting, in a special way. Despite sounding childish, they could tell his heart was in the right place. They couldn't help but be remained of a certain hot-headed Substitute Soul Reaper. Yamamoto however, was reminded of a figure from his past, one he would come to respect as a great fighter.

Mickey nodded. "You're right Master Yen Sid. It was also thanks to Sora that so many of our friends were rescued from their deepest darknesses. Sure, je might be reckless at times, but I know that Sora would never let himself be fooled be people like this Aizen fella. Which is why we all believe that something happened to Sora when he was sent to this Hueco Mundo world that allowed him to get mixed up with Aizen."

Yen Sid then looked at the Head-Captain. "Yamamoto, I request that you allow us passage to Hueco Mundo and rescue our comrades."

Everyone was completely shocked by that request. Suì-Fēng was the first to speak. "You people want to go to Hueco Mundo. Do you really think we'll just let you!?"

"Hueco Mundo is a world unlike any you have ever been to." Unohana agreed. "To go their unprepared would be suicidal."

"I see no reason you should put yourselves in danger over a possibility that this Sora was manipulated by Aizen." Byakuya said.

The old master and King looked over at Yamamoto, who was in deep thought. He stared at Yen Sid for a while and spoke. "When the time is right…can we count on this Sora's assistance?"

Yen Sid didn't even need to think when he nodded his head. "Yes."

Yamamoto then stomped his cane. "Yen Sid…ever since you helped repair the Soul Society's barrier I have said that I will repay my gratitude. And now the time for that has come. Very well, I will grant you and the rest of your allies passage to Hueco Mundo."

All the captains were shocked that their Head-Captain agreed to their request. Before some could voice their disposition, one glare from him silenced all objections.

The Keyblade Masters bowed in relief while the oldest smiled at his old friend. "Thank you, Yamamoto. And in return, I shall lend my support to aid you and your fellow captains with the battle with Sosuke Aizen and his army of Arrancar as well."

Yamamoto nodded in agreement. "Yes, your assistance will be of great help. Now then, we must move on to the second part of this meeting. Yen Sid, Mickey Mouse, it is best that for you two to stay and listen to what I'm about to say. I want to discuss about the situation with Orihime Inoue.

Once again, all Captains' and Keyblade Masters' turned their attention attention to the Head-Captain.

"Since you two are unaware of who she is, I'll shall be blunt. Orihime Inoue is a resident from Karakura Town and she possess a powerful ability to reject time, or rather, undoing events in many shape or form. I fear that this power has caught the interest of Aizen himself as several hours ago Orihime Inoue was captured by one of Aizen's Espada, his elite forces. We have come to a conclusion that Aizen will use Orihime Inoue's power to restore the Hōgyoku, the object that Aizen stole from us. With this latest development, I now fear that Aizen's forces are ready for battle. Which is why, after this meeting, I will call back Captain Hitsugaya's Advance Squad to return and defend the Soul Society."

Yen Sid nodded in understanding and asked. "I don't suppose that this Orihime Inoue's comrades will happily comply."

Yamamoto nodded. "Indeed. Which is why I am ordering Captains Zaraki and Kuchiki to wait by the Senkaimon. If they refuse to return then I order you to bring them back, by force if necessary."

"Understood, Head-Captain." Byakuya said while Kenpachi nodded in boredom.

"And what do you plan do to with this situation?" Mickey asked.

"When the final battle was decided this coming winter, I had given Kisuke Urahara, a former captain, a set of orders so that we can stop Aizen and help Ichigo Kurosaki as well." The Head-Captain explained. "First, is to allow passage so that Captains Kuchiki, Zaraki, Unohana, and Kurotsuchi as well as their respective Lieutenants will be allowed to enter Hueco Mundo by stabilizing the Garganta to its optimal setting. I shall have him pass along his knowledge so that you may send your allies an hour early. If you have not found Sora within that time then you are to let the captains exterminate the Espadas."

The Keyblade Masters nodded. "What was the rest of the order." Yen Sid asked.

"To allow the rest of the Captains and Lieutenants, myself included, passage to Karakura Town to prevent Aizen from creating the Ōken." Yamamoto finished.

Yen Sid's eyes widened. "Wait a moment! If your's and Aizen's forces go to battle, then that will greatly endanger the lives of those in Karakura Town, and possibly destroy the town itself." He pointed out.

Mayuri soon chuckled. "Now don't get head of yourself. The rest of us have prepared for that outcome. Myself and my department of research and development were able to create a perfect replica of Karakura Town right down to the last dwelling. And Kisuke Urahara was able to create Tenkai Kecchu, which allowed us take the real Karakura Town and relocate it to one of the areas of the Rukon district."

"Ah I see. That's quite impressive. So long as the town and its people are safe, it doesn't matter." Mickey spoke, impressed.

"Yes. With Karakura Town and the humans out of the way, we will have no reason to restrain ourselves." Yamamoto commented. "Now then, with that settled, this meeting is adjourned."

* * *

Back in Radiant Garden, Riku and Lea stood beside Ansem and Ienzo in the computer room. Terra, Aqua, and Ven were exploring the rest of the town while Roxas and Xion were currently in Twilight Town. Riku and Lea were the only ones present when Donald and Goofy called them on the gummiphone and informed of what the king and Yen Sid had told them about the Soul Society and the possible location of Sora. Upon receiving the information, the two Keyblade Wielders decided to visit the castle and inform Ansem the Wise about their recent discovery.

The Sage-King hummed in thought as he took in everything. "The Soul Society. I have read of such a place during my early research. While I focused more on where the heart vanishes, I also wondered what becomes of the soul should it leave the body." He looked over at the other two. "As I have stated before, should a soul leave the body, it gives way to death."

"And when they die, the soul gets sent to the Soul Society." Riku concluded, remembering what Donald and Goofy explained, or at least tried to since they also had a tough time understanding this.

Ienzo nodded, looking over from the monitor. "That is correct. Even if we come from different worlds, death is the same for everyone. And because it exists as it's own separate plain of existence, then it's the reason why we could not locate Naminé's hearts, should Kairi be there as well."

Lea groaned rubbing his head. "Souls, afterlife. Gotta say, only bought bits and prices of it."

"Don't worry, you and Sora would both lose your heads over this." Riku smugly said.

"Hey!" Ignoring Lea, Riku asked, "Speaking of Naminé, could you recover the signal again."

Based on their expressions, it looked like they had some good news to share. "First, let me begin by saying that not too long ago, the signal returned, much stronger than before." Ienzo said.

Lea and Riku looked to each other before the former asked. "That mean you guys could find her."

"Unfortunately, we have yet to locate the coordinates to it's precise location." Ansem said, however he had one more thing to tell them. "However, I have determined that source of the signal was not the call of one heart, but two."

"Two?" Lea raised an eyebrow.

"Precisely." Ienzo said. "It make sense that the last signal was weak because the power of one heart was not enough to respond to the data. However, if that heart was part of a much larger one, specifically one that held immense pure light."

Riku's eyes widened as he came to the likeliest conclusions. "Kairi!"

Ansem nodded. "Correct."

"Then that means she and Naminé must be at that Soul Society place." Lea said. "Things are really starting to go our way."

"But that still leaves finding their locations, if it is the Soul Society, we don't know where." Riku deduced before looking towards the sage-King. "How long will it take to find the coordinates to the location."

"It should take more than a day." Ansem replied. "All that is left for us now is to complete the transfer of Naminé's data into the replica."

"The transfer is nearly completed." Ienzo assured. "Once that is done and we've determined the location of Naminé's heart, we'll send it over there just like how we did with replica for Roxas' heart."

"Then all that's left-" Before he could finish, Riku felt his gummiphone ring. ( _ **A/N: Think of it as a ringtone version of Riku's theme.**_ ) Picking it up, he answered the call and Mickey's face appeared on the screen.

" _Thank goodness I was able to reach you."_ Mickey said with relief.

"Mickey! What happened?" Riku asked. "Were you and Master Yen Sid able to find Sora and Kairi."

" _Well, we may have found out where Sora is._ " Mickey said which surprised everyone. " _Where are the others?_ "

"Terra, Aqua and Ven are exploring the town." Lea replied. "As for Roxas and Xion, they decided to take a small vay-cay at Twilight Town."

"Donald and Goofy told us that you and Master Yen Sid may have found him at the Soul Society. Did you find Sora there?" Riku asked.

" _Well not quiet but there's a lot to explain. Riku, Lea, you fellas gather everyone together and call me back. There is a lot I have to explain to all of you._ " With that, Mickey hung up. The two Keyblade Wielders looked at each other with curious expressions.

"Wonder what's going on?" Lea asked.

"Don't know, but it must be serious if he needs all of us." Riku asked, wondering what kind of trouble Sora may have gotten himself into this time. Riku turned towards the scientists. "We have to go."

Ansem nodded, understanding the dire situation. "Do be careful. We shall stay and finish completing Naminé's body."

"Hopefully, we'll be able to send it over when it's completed. Let's just hope it will make things easier for all of you." Ienzo said.

With that, Riku and Lea left the room. Meanwhile, at the other side of the entrance, was Vexen. He leaned against the wall as he heard of the dire situation that Sora may have gotten himself into.

With a determined expression, he walked away, knowing what he needed to do.

* * *

In the Soul Society, everyone got to work after that event of the captain's meeting. Since the Lieutenants were going to join the upcoming battle, Yen Sid and the captains informed all of them about the Keyblade, even Hitsugaya's squad after they returned to Soul Society. There, they met Yen Sid and were filled in about everything that transpired since Sora's disappearance. He told them about Sora and the Keyblade. Needless to say, the gathered Soul Reapers, bearing the captains, were all left speechless in disbelief.

However, a day later, they heard that Ichigo Kurosaki and his two friends have left for Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime on their own. To make matters worse, several hours later, two other Soul Reapers had disappeared, obviously going to Hueco Mundo to aid their friends in the rescue Orihime. It angered Yamamoto that they would do this against his orders, but Yen Sid calmed him down, saying that they were doing what their hearts felt was right and that they shouldn't interfere.

Currently, Yen Sid and Mickey decided to split up, working individually; Mickey had gone to meet with Kisuke Urahara to pass along his knowledge of the Garganta. When he was done, he would return to the tower to inform the other Keyblade Wielders of the situation while Urahara transfers the data to him. Yen Sid stayed behind in the Soul Society to oversee the operation of the fake Karakura Town. He would also help with putting the residents to sleep with his magic so they would be unaware of the relocation and looming battle that was to come.

Right now, the old master was having tea with the Head-Captain.

"So, this is what you would call a 'calm before a storm." Yen Sid told him. "Whatever happens at the end of the day will determine the fate of the world. Should Sora encounter the boy named Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions, then he will have learned the truth about Sosuke Aizen and turn against him, bringing a shift in this war."

"You truly believe that this boy is the key to it all?" Yamamoto asked one final time.

Yen Sid gave a small smile. "If you had witnessed the Second Keyblade War then there would be no doubt. If anyone has the power to bring change, then it's Sora and perhaps Ichigo Kurosaki as well." The old master took another sip before bring up another topic. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, how was it that you came to know of our legacy?"

Yamamoto looked down before replying. "It's an old story. One that occurred before the birth of the Keyblade Wielders."

"We have plenty of time." Yen Sid said.

Yamamoto nodded and began, "It all began a thousand years ago…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Aizen had called an Espada meeting. Just now Ichigo Kurosaki and his two friends had come to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime Inoue. The Espadas were entering the room, among them was Grimmjow, who had his arm restored by Orihime. He went on to kill Luppi and regain his old position as the Sixth Espada.

"Looks like we have intruders." Szayelaporro said with interest.

"How do you know that?" Baraggan asked.

"The 22nd underground passageway has just collapsed." Zommari informed.

"The 22nd? That's not much of a threat. It's pretty far from here." Baraggan said, heading to his seat.

"It's too bad really." Szayelaporro said, taking his seat. "Would've been more interesting if they'd broken into the throne room instead."

"HA HA HA!" Nnoitra laughed, leaning on his chair. "That would have been cool!"

"Enough." Starrk said, taking his seat. "I'm tired as hell. Let's have some peace and quiet around here."

One by one, all the Espadas were seated down on their chairs. Stark looked tired as ever. Barraggan had his arms crossed in annoyance. Halibel's had an unknown expression due her lower face being covered. Ulquiorra had his eyes closed. Nnoitra had an excited grin on his face. Grimmjow looked bored for being here. Zommari had a calm look in his eyes. Szayelaporro was just smiling. Aaroniero was wearing his helmet, so his reaction was unknown. Yammy had his elbow on the table, looking annoyed for coming here.

Suddenly, the large door opened up in the meeting room and Aizen, Gin and Tōsen came out and were walking towards the Espada. However, all three of them were wearing different clothing.

Aizen was wearing full clothing similar in style to the Arrancar, complete with a pink sash around the waist.

Gin was wearing a white hakama like the Arrancar. His robe was opened in a narrow 'V' down to his waist, closed to below the hips, and then opened again to the hem, which falls about to mid-calf. His robe has long bell sleeves, into which he hides his hands. The lining of the robe and edges or layers of the under-robe appear to be black.

Tōsen's white coat and black hakama were changed to a single longer, white robe while his boots are replaced by typical Arrancar footwear. His Zanpakutō is suspended from a string-like attachment on the left of his robe.

Aizen had his calm and cool smile as he said. "It's seems we're under attack. Before we talk about that…let's have some tea first?"

* * *

Back at the Mysterious Towers, the Keyblade Wielders were informed of the situations. There was a lot to take in, such as the Soul Society, Hollows, Soul Reapers, Arrancars, Hueco Mundo, etc. but they understood the situation. They were also told about Aizen and his plan to create this Royal Key. A lot of them were outraged that he was willing to sacrifice hundred to thousands of people for his twisted goals. They were more surprised to hear that Sora was seen fighting alongside his forces, but were quick to say that he was being manipulated.

The King informed them that the person he met was going to send them data that will create a special portal that will send them to access Hueco Mundo and rescue Sora and Kairi. It was decided that the Keyblade Wielders, along with Donald and Goofy would journey to Hueco Mundo, hoping their numbers would increase their chances of finding their friends, and prepare for the dangers ahead.

Meanwhile, Ansem the Wise called and informed them that the signal returned, stronger then it had been. The data transferred to the replica was nearly completed and once he found the location, he would send over to where Kairi is. If she was also in Hueco Mundo, then it would make finding her easier, along with the addition of a great ally and friend.

Now, the ten heroes were waiting patiently outside the tower.

"How long is this gonna take?" Lea asked annoyed.

The king looked at his gummiphone, which was still loading. "He said he was going to send the data so I could create this portal to take us to that Hueco Mundo world. It so be finished any second."

"Yeah, so stop pestering the king!" Donald snapped.

"But still." Aqua said, "The longer we wait, the more trouble Sora and Kairi could be in."

"That's why we're going in the first place." Riku said, before looking over at Roxas. "I'm sorry that you couldn't spend more time with those friends of yours. I know how much you wanted to see them."

Roxas shook his head, assuring that he didn't mind. "It's okay, they understood. Besides, I promised them that when this was all over, I would treat them to a trip to the beach."

Xion smiled. "That sounds very nice."

"Say, how bout' when this is finished, we all go to the beach." Goofy suggested.

"Yeah, it could be like a victory party." Ven said, liking the idea.

"That sounds nice, but lets wait until after the battle is over." Aqua said.

"I still can't believe Sora got mixed up in all this. What was he thinking." Terra voiced.

"Gosh, I don't know." Mickey replied. "But Master Yen Sid and I still believe that this Aizen fella could've done something to him."

"Like mind control him." Lea guessed.

"That could be possible." Aqua guessed. "The only way to be sure is if Riku or I are closer to him. If any form of darkness could be corrupting his mind, we'll be able to sense it."

"Then that will be the first thing we'll do." Terra ordered. Suddenly, Mickey felt his gummiphone viberate. The king held it up and saw the loading bar full, with the words 'DATA TRANSFER COMPLETE' above it.

"Mickey, is everything ready?" The silver-hair boy asked.

The king nodded. "It took awhile, but this Kisuke Urahara fella I met was able to make it work."

"Oh boy." Donald jumped in joy.

"We can finally get to Sora." Goofy cheered.

"It looks like he sent a message." Mickey read. "He recommends that we take these." Suddenly, everyone magically received strange yellow collared pills.

"What are these?" Ven asked.

"It says that these pills will allow us to cross threw the Garganta with our magic energy." The king replied. "However, he recommends that we stay close together because wandering alone can leave you to be trapped inside forever."

"Trapped forever…right." Lea muttered.

"Stand back everyone, I'm going to activate it." Mickey pressed the button on gummiphone while the other nine warriors stepped back. Holding his phone up front, it started glowing and then the Garganta opened in front of the Keyblade Wielders.

"I guess this is the portal." Roxas said.

"And once we cross through, we'll be a step closer to finding Sora." Aqua realized.

"Then we better get going." Riku said as he and the others took the pills.

"About time." Lea said as they began walking.

"Stay on guard." Terra warned. "Anything could happen."

Ven looked a little concerned. "Think we'll end up fighting some tough people."

"I guess we might." Xion said.

"It obvious. And if we have to face this Aizen person, then the battle we will soon face will be unlike anything we've experienced." Terra said.

Donald moaned while Goofy said. "Don't worry. We'll find Sora and Kairi. 'Cause we're a team."

Mickey nodded at Goofy's optimism. "You're right. We're all in this together. We prevailed against the Seekers of Darkness, so I'm positive we'll overcome our new enemies."

"You're right, Mickey." Aqua agreed. "As long as our hearts stay strong, we'll win and find Sora and Kairi."

With everything ready, the ten heroes jumped straight into the Garganta, closing after all of them were inside.

* * *

Every Espada present had a cup of tea in front of them. They weren't really interested in tea but didn't object. Aizen then said. "So, does everybody have a cup of tea now? Good. Now, please listen carefully to what I have to say." Looking at Tōsen through is peripherals. "Begin the presentation Kaname."

"Sir." Tōsen agreed. He pulled the lever that turned on the projector. Then, a big circle appeared on the table.

"There are three intruders trying to break in." Aizen spoke. Soon the circle formed into a screen and it showed the images of three people running throughout the desert of Hueco Mundo.

One of them was a bespectacled teenager of average height and slender build. He had straight, chin-length black hair framing both sides of his face, and was fair-skinned with blue eyes. The clothing he was wearing was mainly white, with a long shirt with blue stripes representing a cross, and a mantle that covered most of his top body. "Uryū Ishida" Aizen identified.

The second one was a dark-skinned person with pronounced cheek-bones and had wavy brown hair with bangs that hung over his brown eyes. He was a muscular and extremely tall man and, despite his appearance, he was actually a teenager. He wore a dark, long-sleeved shirt with a yellow rose emblazoned on the left sleeve, khaki pants, and white shoes. "Yasutora Sado" was his name, though he also went by "Chad".

The last one had the most distinguishing feature, his spiky orange hair. He was a fairly tall, lean-built young man with peach skin and brown eyes. He was wearing the standard Soul Reaper attire, with the addition of a red rosary-like strap across his chest, shaped like a kite with a flat top and bottom. He was none other than, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

Upon seeing Ichigo, Grimmjow's eyes widen as he lightly got up from his seat in shock. Ulquiorra silently turned to the projector, though only closed his eyes after seeing Ichigo. Some of the other Espada voiced their reactions.

" **You mean these** … _are our enemies_?" Aaroniero asked.

"Ridiculous?" Barraggan said, angrily. "When you said we were under attacked I assumed it was some kind of army. These are just a bunch of kids!"

"I don't see what all the fuss is all about. Where's the danger." Szayelaporro said, smiling.

Yammy merely scoffed.

"I wouldn't underestimate these so called 'kids'. Others have made the same mistake. They're humans who were once labeled " _Ryoka_ ". Sometime ago, the four of them invaded the Soul Society and successfully took on the 13 Court Guard Squads." Aizen explained.

"Is that so." Zommari said until he realized something and asked. "That means one of them is missing. Where's the fourth warrior?"

Aizen smiled as Ulquiorra answered. "That would be Orihime Inoue."

Nnoitra just laughed and said. "Aww~ So, they've come to save their friend, have they? Why not let them try? They look weak as hell!"

"Have you been listening at all. Lord Aizen just told us not underestimate them." Halibel sternly reminded him.

"If I didn't know better I say you were worried about these little brats. Are you scared?" Nnoitra asked, smirking.

"What's that?" Halibel angrily asked.

Grimmjow was about to stomp out of the throne to take care of the intruders, until someone brought up another topic that was surely on everyone's mind.

"What about Sora?" Szayelaporro asked, getting everyone's attention. "Should he encounter these intruders, he will turn against us. No doubt about it."

"Then maybe we should kill him so that he doesn't betray us?" Nnoitra asked, his face clearly showing eagerness to do so. Both Starrk and Halibel looked at him in disgust. The latter wished nothing more then for the Fifth Espada to just drop dead.

"You would like that, wouldn't you, Nnoitra?" Aizen asked with a smile. "But no. I'm afraid that Sora's abilities are far too valuable for him to be eliminated now."

Baraggan, who had been punished by Aizen for attacking Sora, didn't bother saying anything on the subject.

"Will that kid really betray us?" Yammy asked.

"Yes," Ulquiorra suddenly said. "I have studied him long enough to realize that, despite his loss of memories, his beliefs have practically been burned into his very core. After that last confrontation, should we commit another act that he sees as deplorable, he will turn against us."

"Then it's rather obvious." Szayelaporro said. "We prevent Sora from meeting that Soul Reaper boy and his friends at all costs."

"Good luck doing that." Grimmjow muttered, sitting back down. "The kid's just not gonna sit around and do nothing. He's gonna find out something's up."

"Maybe those girls of yours can keep Sora busy." Nnoitra suggested to Halibel, giving her a lewd look. "After all, a guy surrounded by three women will definitely keep him entertained. I know I would."

Disgust filled Halibel as she turned away from looking at him.

"Starrk." Aizen called out to the First Espada.

"Lord Aizen." He said.

"I want you to return to your chambers and make sure that Sora does not leave them under any circumstances. Is that understood?" he ordered.

Starrk replied instantly. "Yeah. I understand, Lord Aizen."

The Leader of Las Noches then spoke. "Now then…members of the Espada…as I pointed out to you, we have three enemies. It's not wise to underestimate them, but there's no reason to be overwrought either. All of you are to return to your quarters and behave as everything were normal. Don't be impatient. Just sit and wait for the enemy to come to us. And don't be concerned. Regardless of the situation, as long as you remain calm and stay with me…they are no match for us. We're unstoppable."

Soon the meeting ended and everyone was returning to their quarters. However, Aizen saw that Szayelaporro was the only still there. Knowing he had something to say, he gestured for Gin and Tōsen to leave, which they did. He walked over to the Eighth Esapda.

"Szayelaporro." Aizen called. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The Eighth Espada turned and smiled dramatically. "It's finished."

For a brief second, Aizen's eyes widen in shock before saying. "Really?"

"Yes, my lord." Szayelaporro said. "The greatest task that you have assigned to me has been fulfilled."

Aizen let out a wicked smile. "Excellent. Everything's going according to plan."

* * *

In Radiant Garden, Vexen was walking past the castle gates as he approached the corner where he had met with Demyx last time to enlist his help in saving Roxas. When he heard that the Keyblade Wielders may have found Sora's location, he knew it was time for him to take action in saving him and finding Kairi and Naminé and find atonement for his past actions. True he accepted Ansem and Ienzo's words, but the pain still remained. If he could help fulfill this one task, then he may find the strength to move forward. However, he knew he couldn't do it alone, and he had not heard from Demyx since the Xehanort's defeat. So, he contacted one person who could help him with this mission.

Crossing his arms, the Nobody waited impatiently for several minutes, pacing back and forth for his guest to arrive. His pacing came to a halt when a voice called to him.

"You weren't followed were you?"

Vexen sighed as he turned around. "No. But you certainly do not know the meaning of punctuality."

The person wore the same black coat, gloves, and boats that Vexen was wearing. "Sorry, but I had to make sure the Keyblade Wielders were not around. Until the time is right."

The unknown person pulled back his hood as Vexen said, "Well the time has come that we lend our aid now...Isa."

With his hood pulled back, the man's face was revealed. He has long blue hair, sea green eyes, and the most prominent feature was an 'X' shaped scar on his face. This man was in fact as Isa, the original persona of the Nobody Saïx.

* * *

In the hallways of Las Noches, Sora was marching straight down. His expression was surprisingly serious and determined. He stopped as he approached a door.

"I need to know." Sora muttered. "I need to know what we're fighting for. And if I can't find answers by asking, then I'll find them on my own."

" _Like she said._ " He thought.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Looks like things are beginning to heat up. Let me just that, unfortunately the SAO characters will be removed from this revised story. Unlike before, I have no room for any of them in this revision and now that I think about it, it wasn't a good idea to bring them in after all. So only the core Kingdom Hearts cast will have their battle in Hueco Mundo, with the captains having their own share of battling. I even included Donald and Goofy, who will join with Sora later on. After all, when those three are together, they're unstoppable, as shown with the final battle with Master Xehanort.**_

 _ **Now, as for Kairi, as you saw she and**_ ** _Naminé have succeeded in getting through to their friends. However, only time will tell if the replica's data can reach_** ** _Naminé's heart. As for Vexen, as you saw near the end, he has come into contact with Isa, but I'll go more into their connection later on. However, I will say that they will appear again in the Hueco Mundo battle._**

 _ **Next Time: The Keyblade wielders arrive at Hueco Mundo but have difficulty navigating through the desert. Meanwhile, Sora searches through Aizen's records and comes to a horrifying discovery.**_

 _ **Hope you like it and please review.**_


	12. Aizen's True Goal!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Here we are, the Twelfth chapter. This is the chapter some of you were waiting for and where things begin to heat up for the young Keyblade Wielder. I hope you'll enjoy it. Remember, I don't own Bleach and Kingdom Hearts.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 12: "Aizen's True Goal! The Alliance is Off!"**_

In the dark sky of Hueco Mundo, a Garganta opened, eight people jumping out and crash landed on the white sands.

"Man!" Lea said rubbing his back. "That was a rough landing. Good thing it wasn't any higher."

"Let's be happy we made it here at all." Aqua said, stretching her arms.

Mickey wiped the sand off his clothes before seeing Goofy helping Donald up. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine your majesty." Goofy replied while Donald took off his hat to shake off the sand.

Terra helped Ven up as he looked around "Looks like everyone's here."

"Seems like it." Riku said as he looked all over their surroundings. "So, is this Hueco Mundo?"

Aqua looked to see nothing but white sand, black sky and absolutely no sign of life anywhere. "I can't tell. Master Yen Sid didn't really give us a description of this place."

"Didn't those Soul Reapers tell you anything." Ven asked the King.

"Well, there wasn't really much time. All Mr. Urahara did say was that portal will take us to where we needed to go." Mickey said stepping forward.

"So, looks like we're clueless about this world." Lea said shaking his head. "That's just great."

"It's not like we've traveled blindly through worlds before." Xion pointed out, remembering the missions they took when they were in the Organization.

Roxas nodded. "We're just gonna have to ad-lib everything from here."

Goofy then recalled something. "Didn't Master Yen Sid tell us a bit about this world and the people here." He remembered.

"That's right." Xion agreed. "The creatures that live here are called Hollows and Arrancar."

"Don't forget that three Soul Reapers that defected." Aqua said. "What was their leader's name again?"

Riku narrowed his eyes. "Aizen." He didn't know who this guy is but after hearing of what he was planning and possibly tricking Sora, he already started to hate him.

Mickey looked at everyone. "Let's go fellas, we should start looking for Sora and Kairi. They could be anywhere out here."

"You mean like there." Lea pointed what he saw in front. Everyone followed his gaze and gasped when they saw a fortress so big that calling it enormous would be an understatement.

"That's convenient." Ven said, wide-eyed.

"Looks like we know where to go." Riku declared.

"Are you sure we should go there?" Donald asked, feeling cautious.

"It's not like we had anywhere else to go to begin with." Terra pointed out. "Besides, the longer we wait, the more danger Sora and Kairi may be facing."

"Then we better go." Aqua said. "Remember to stay alert. In an unknown world, we'll never know what could happen."

"Then let's get moving." Terra said. Everyone nodded and began moving. However, the three Keyblade Masters sensed several presence heading towards them. "Everyone, watch out!" Riku warned, causing everyone to jump out of the way at the last second. From the white sands emerged two dozen Hollows, all arriving here after sensing their presence.

" **Look what we have here!"** One Hollow exclaimed. **"Fresh meat!"**

" **Not one, or two, but ten! It's like an entrée!"**

" **Looks like we hit the jackpot!"**

"What are these things!?" Goofy yelped.

"These must be the Hollows we've heard of." Xion assured

"There're like twenty-something of those things." Lea looked on.

"Not feeling scared, are you?" Roxas sassed.

Lea shook his head. "Nah, I can take em."

Riku got into a fighting position. "I've faced bigger Heartless then these guys."

Aqua joined him. "You're not the only one?"

Donald made a determined face. "We can get 'em."

"Let's just take care of them so we can go save our friends." Terra said as everyone summoned their Keyblades while Donald and Goofy summoned their staff and shield respectively. With a battle cry, they charged forward at the Hollows.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora was seen walking towards the door at the end of the hall. Since his encounter with the Soul Reapers, he has begun questioning Aizen's own actions and wondering if he truly plans to bring good change to the Soul Society. That last scuffle he had with Baraggan at the throne room didn't make anything better.

In fact, ever since he came here, he saw that these people did absolutely nothing to go out of there why and make friends, even though they were supposed to be comrades. And the sense of comradeship was surely lacking, as Nnoitra would purposely go so far as to attack his own allies just because he felt they were too weak. That kind of action disgusted him to no end. They were certainly worse than Organization XIII.

However, during his time here, he at least met six people here that were sane. Starrk, despite being lazy and nonchalant was pretty cool and would even go out of his way to help him when he was in a bind. Lilynette, though hotheaded and mischievous, was also very kind and has become a bit nicer, (whenever she was with him at least). He was happy to call them Brother and Sister figures.

Halibel, while at times stone faced, proved to also be kind, caring, and loyal, as she would go far to attack an Espada for hurting her Fracciónes, whom she cared for. She would later do the same with him. He never told her this but he started to see her as a motherly figure. Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun, while they weren't all that fond of men, they had started to see him as a best friend and even laughed at some of the things he did.

There was also Nel, Pesche, Dondochakka. Those three were the friendliest Arrancars he ever met. Tōsen was like a mentor to him, as he trained him and offered good advice when he really needed it.

But that still didn't shake off the nagging suspicion he was starting to have of Aizen. He needed to find out what he was really up to. So, he decided to find the answers for himself.

* * *

(Flashback)

" _You want me to stay here and…rest."_ Sora said, incredulously.

Starrk sighed. _"That's right. Tomorrow, we go to war with the Soul Society. Lord Aizen wants us all to be ready. So, rest up till then."_

Sora looked down. So, tomorrow was the big battle with the Soul Reapers. The one battle he had been training for over a month and now it was drawing near.

" _You'll kick ass, Sora. Don't worry."_ Lilynette smiled. Sora smiled back at her consideration but that still didn't shake off the feeling he was having.

Lilynette was the one to notice and decided to ask. _"Are you okay?"_

Sora nodded, _"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind I guess."_

" _It's about Lord Aizen."_ Starrk surmised.

Sora was shocked that he could tell but nodded. Lilynette looked at him. _"What about Lord Aizen? Are you saying you don't trust him?"_

" _It's not that I don't trust him…"_ Sora explained. _"When I first came here, I had no memory of who I was. So, I thought that by joining him, I'd find my memories. I also couldn't stand by after hearing those things about the Soul Reapers. But now-"_

" _After that last scuffle with the Soul Reapers and your little scene with Baraggan, you're starting to doubt Lord Aizen."_ Starrk finished.

" _That's basically it."_ He nodded. _"I thought, I was doing the right thing, helping Aizen get rid of the bad people, but now I'm not so sure. Seeing what he did to Grimmjow didn't make it any better. Part of me feels that…I might end up making a huge mistake and help the wrong person."_

Starrk listened carefully. _"So, do you regret joining Lord Aizen?"_

Sora looked down unsure. _"I…don't know."_

" _How can you say that!?"_ Lilynette asked, fiercely. _"Lord Aizen has done so much for you! And he's taken care of all of us since we became Arrancar!"_

Sora sighed. _"Yeah, maybe your right."_ He said. _"I'm just being careful."_

" _Well, I won't blame you."_ Starrk said, walking up. _"A lot of Arrancar here are cautious about Lord Aizen. Some have even tried to turn against him."_

Sora looked up at the First Espada and asked. _"Why did you join Aizen?"_

Starrk and Lilynette looked at each other for a moment before the former replied. _"To repay a debt."_

Sora raised an eyebrow. A debt? What kind of debt?

" _Anyways. Like I said, we'll need to rest up for tomorrow."_ Starrk said. _"So, good night."_

With that, Starrk went to sleep. Lilynette glared for a moment before she followed his lead. Seeing everyone turning in, Sora decided to get some rest. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

(Dream sequence)

Sora opened his eyes and saw that he was in a large void where white obscured his whole surroundings. Looking down, he could see that he was levitating, as if he was flying throughout the area. Sora blinked. Was he having a dream.

" _Where am I? What's going on!?"_ Sora cried.

" _You've taken you eye off the ball."_ A voice said. Sora turned immediately to see the person speaking to him was the cloaked woman he met twice before. Once during his second battle with Nnoitra, the other during his fight with Hitsugaya.

" _Who are you?"_ Sora asked.

" _You will never find answers by wasting time."_ The cloaked figure explained. _"You must go search for them for yourself."_

" _What do you mean?"_ Sora asked. _"Where am I supposed to go? Am_ _I supposed to spy on Aizen."_

She shook her head. _"Not exactly. If you wish to find all the answers, go to the west hall by the throne room. There will be a door at the end of the hall."_

" _Will I really find what I'm looking for if I go there?"_ Sora asked.

The cloaked figure nodded. _"I'm certain. But the choice is yours."_

Sora pondered for a moment. While spying on Aizen's goals would be beneficial, if he got caught then it'd be over. Regardless, he needed to know now!

" _I'll do it."_ Sora said determinedly. " _If I can't find answers by asking, I'll find it on my own."_

The woman smiled, agreeing with his choice. _"Then go. Go to your destiny."_ Sora nodded and wanted to ask more questions. However, everything around him became transparent. Soon, the entire are began to rumble until the area ripped apart and turned black. The mysterious woman faded away. Sora tried to reach out but soon he began fall, screaming as he plummeted to the endless abyss.

* * *

(Dream sequence end)

Sora shot out of the floor, breathing heavily. He looked around to see that he was back in Starrk's chambers. He remembered that he had gone to sleep, still feeling exhausted from his last battle. He looked around and saw Starrk sleeping in his usual spot and Lilynette sleeping beside him. He couldn't help but smile, seeing them so relax together.

Then he remembered the words that cloaked woman had told him. It was time that he find answers on his own. He got up and tiptoed to the door and opened it. He looked back to see them still asleep. Sighing, he quickly but quietly closed the door.

* * *

(Flashback end)

Sora had followed the directions to the room the woman told him. It took him a while but he was able to reach the room's entrance. He looked at the door, questionable.

" _So."_ Sora thought. _"Inside this room, are the answers I've been looking for."_

Sora looked around to see that no one was in sight. He sighed and grabbed the door handle.

"Well, it's now or never." He muttered. With that, he opened the door. Sora entered a room and looked all around to see no one was there. Looking closely, he could see that this room looked more like a filing room in his opinion. There were over dozens of drawers with hundreds of files.

Sora sighed. "There's no way I'm gonna be able to go through all these." Seeing no one in sight, Sora went to the first drawer he saw and opened it.

"Well, guess I better start looking." He said, going through all the records.

* * *

Outside Las Noches, the eight Keyblade wielders and two friends defeated all the Hollows that stood in their way. Since they've faced powerful opponents, facing down monsters was pretty easy. Aqua decided it would be a good idea to leave one of the Hollows alive to talk. Fortunately for them, the world they were in was Hueco Mundo and the gigantic fort straight ahead was called Las Noches. The Hollow then began to laugh saying that they were dead men walking, as Las Noches was filled with beings more powerful then him. Regardless, the team continued their journey to Las Noches.

The team had been walking across the white desert for over thirty minutes. So far, it looked like they weren't even halfway there to their destination. After several more minutes of running, the team stopped to catch a quick breather.

"Man!" Ven moaned. "This is taking forever."

"No matter how long we run it doesn't look like we're getting any closer." Xion pointed out

"Gawrsh, that castle must be really far away." Goofy said.

"How long do we have to keep running?" Donald squawked, getting irritated.

Lea wiped his forehead. "I agree. Is that place even there? It's starting to look like a mirage to me."

Roxas looked at him curiously. "How can you see a mirage if we're seeing the same thing?"

"Hey, I read that being in the desert causes people to hallucinate." Lea said.

Aqua shook her head. "Actually, a mirage is an optical illusion caused be atmospheric conditions." She said in a matter of fact tone. "Usually caused by intense light, which this world seems to lack."

"Alright I get it." Lea said, annoyed.

"Guys." They turned to Riku. "Maybe we should spend less time wondering if we're seeing thing and more time on finding out how are we going to get that fortress."

"I don't think it's that simple." Terra said. "I've realized now that the more we run, the more it seems we're not getting closer. This makes me realize that this fortress must be bigger than we thought."

Mickey sighed. "Gosh, if that's true then it's gonna take even longer to get there."

Xion looked over to their destination. "How long do think it'll take for us...to..." She suddenly started trailing off from her question. Everyone looked and saw her staring out in the distance.

"Xion are you okay?" Roxas asked.

"What's wrong?" Lea asked as the others walked over to her. They followed her gaze to see the area see was staring at had a large wind, causing the sand to fly up.

"It's only the wind." Riku said.

"No." Xion responded. Aqua looked and her eyes widened when she noticed the wind was blowing harder, causing the sand to rotate faster. This created a sandstorm.

"Oh no!" Mickey gasped.

"A sandstorm!" Lea exclaimed.

"It's a tornado." Goofy shouted.

"Who cares what it is!" Terra shouted. "Everyone, run!" He said as everyone dashed forward, trying to stay ahead of that tornado.

"How is this happening!" Donald yelled. "Is this one of their traps!?"

"I don't think so!" Terra said. "This could just be a natural phenomena!" Much to their horror, the sandstorm was gaining up on them.

"Oh no!" Mickey yelled. "I don't think we're gonna make!"

Riku gritted his teeth as he tried to think of a way out of this one. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "Everyone, release your Keyblades and try to create a barrier!" He ordered. "We can use it ride out the sandstorm!"

The eight Keyblade Wielders nodded and summoned their Keyblades. Without a second delay, they all casted a reflect spell that formed a large sphere around them. Then, the sand tornado came and swept up the ball of energy. Everyone had their eyes closed, hoping this plan would work. Luckily it did and they were inside the tornado, safe and unharmed.

Ven sighed in relief. "That was a close call."

"Yep." Goofy agreed. "That's was some great thinking Riku."

"Thanks." Riku said. "I'm just glad it worked."

"Who knows, with how fast this tornado moves, we should arrive at that Las Noches place a lot faster." Roxas said.

"Let's just hope this barrier holds up." Aqua said. However, no sooner when she said that, the barrier began cracking.

"Crap, it's starting to break!" Lea yelled.

"Donald, you gotta fix it!" Mickey yelled. More cracks began appearing.

"I don't know how!" Donald said, worriedly.

Riku looked and to his horror, the barrier slowly breaking by the second. He knew that there wasn't a way to fix the shield. So, that left one other option. "Everyone! Quick, grab hold of somebody!" It was too late, as the barrier broke apart, with everyone about to be launched into different directions.

"Damn it! It's started!" Terra cursed.

Riku saw that Mickey was the closest to him. He reached out and grabbed his hand, much to his relief.

Everyone searched frantically to find someone next to them. Lea spotted Xion and grabbed her under his arm. "Wah!" She said in surprise.

"Guys!" The two saw Roxas, who dived down until Lea grabbed his hand with his free one.

"Ven, I got you!" Aqua said, grabbing her friend with her arms.

"Terra, NO!" He yelled, seeing Terra on his own.

"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy yelled, as they were being pulled away. Riku and Aqua both knew there was no time to get to either of them. So, with all their strength, Riku threw Mickey over to his best friends while Aqua tossed Ven over at Terra. Both of them landed at them safely however, to their horror, Riku and Aqua were being sent away.

"Riku!" Mickey yelled.

"Aqua!" Terra and Ven screamed. Suddenly, the tornado broke apart and out came five lights. Two larger ones were sent flying directly at the north of Las Noches while two smaller ones were sent on the far east side. One large light however, was sent flying straight toward the Forest of Menos.

* * *

Back in Las Noches, all the drawers in the filing room were disorganized as each drawer were opened to the point they were pulled out of the selves. Papers were thrown all over the place and some drawers were even knocked over. Sora sighed in frustration, "That's just great. All the things I found were stuff I already know."

However, Sora discovered the last filing cabinet. Each of the drawers there were marked with dates. So, Sora thought it'd be best to find the one with the closest date to when he first got here.

Searching through each of the drawers, he found one that was dated about a day before his arrival in Hueco Mundo. Opening it, he examined several files until he noticed one that was labeled "Lifeform: White."

"White?" Sora asked questionably. He opened the folder and saw the image of a creature that looked greatly like a Hollow. It was a large creature, mainly black with the exception of its face. It also has two long, forward-pointing horns protruding from the sides of it's heads, and it's Hollow hoe was located on it's upper chest, which was filled in. There were also two blades in place of it's forearms.

There was something about this creature that caught Sora's attention. Without a second thought, he continued reading, going the analysis chart.

"White: created from the souls of many Soul Reaper as an experimental Hollow. Results: Failure. Status: Destroyed.

" _White: An ironic name for one with an interior of whiteness, while it's exterior was completely encased in black. While it succeeded in eliminating many Soul Reapers, it unfortunately met it's demise at the hands of Captain Isshin Shiba. Yet, despite it's failure, the results were very...interesting. It will be very intriguing to see how these events will further unfold."_

White? Experiments? Sora didn't know what all this meant, but why would he make such a thing to begin with. And what were these events that Aizen was waiting for. Sora shook his head, deciding to find more information on Aizen's plans.

Finding another file, Sora pulled it out and saw it was labeled "The Hōgyoku!"

The Hōgyoku. Why did that sound familiar? Sora remembered that Gantenbainne once mentioned the Hōgyoku. Curious, Sora took out the file and opened its content and started reading.

" _The Hōgyoku was supposedly said to have possessed the capabilities of dissolving the boundaries between Soul Reapers and Hollow, allowing one race to attain the powers of the other. Through experimentation, I discovered that it could cause Soul Reapers to undergo Hollowfication, as I witnessed a hundred years ago. After merging my Hōgyoku with Kisuke Urahara's, I managed to force the Hollows to undergo Arrancarification, thus the process proved to have favorable results, as it led to the creation of the Arrancar. However, there was one thing that Kisuke Urahara failed to learn. That the Hōgyoku's true power was never to dissolve the boundaries of Soul Reapers and Hollows. Its true power lies in its ability to sense the hearts of those around it and materialize their deepest desire._

Sora raised an eyebrow. Truth be told, he hardly understood any of that. But it certainly explained how Aizen was able to turn the Hollows into Arrancars. And Soul Reapers gaining Hollow powers. That sounded interesting. And Kisuke Urahara. He took him a few seconds to remember that hat-and-clog wearing man he saw in Karakura Town had introduced himself as Kisuke Urahara. So, he invented another Hōgyoku?

All this information was interesting but this hardly told him anything about Aizen's motives. As he closed the folder, he came across another file that caught his interest. It was labeled "The Ōken". Sora opened the folder and looked through all the contents. His eyes widened when he discovered some shocking information.

" _Now the pieces have come into play. With the Hōgyoku nearing completion, I am finally ready to advance to the next phase of my plan; becoming the Soul King. The enriched spirit zone has been found in Karakura Town. All that's left now is to wait for the Hōgyoku to awaken. And then, when it is finally does, I will proceed with my plans, TO DESTROY KARAKURA TOWN. Once I have sacrificed the necessary hundred thousand souls to create the Ōken, I will then move on to destroy the Soul Society and kill the Soul King. Then, I will finally earn my place at the top."_

That last one made Sora so mad, not just mad, completely furious. He dropped to his knees, causing all the papers to be scattered across the floor. Several feelings filled; anger, hurt, and betrayal. He knew Aizen was a mysterious guy, but his plan was just pure evil. He was willing to slaughter all those people. And for WHAT!? Just to create some key!

Before Sora could react, he found one more file that was dated recently. Curious, he grabbed it and began reading all of it.

" _The events of the Second Keyblade War between the 7 Guardians of Light and the 13 Seekers of Darkness played out very interestingly. Master Xehanort certainly had all the pieces he needed and prepared every possible outcome. The most interesting one was the boy Sora, who proved to be as excellent as I had expected. As the one who defeated Xehanort and closed Kingdom Hearts, he will be the perfect pawn needed for my plans. As to lure him to Hueco Mundo, it will not be a challenge, as long as I hold the heart of the one he holds dear. The maiden of pure light will guide him to me."_

"AHHHH!" With a great roar, Sora knocked the filing cabinet, knocking all the contents over the floor. So, that was it. Aizen was responsible for this. It wasn't bad enough that he planned to destroy the entire town, but he brought him into it.

So, everything he had done. Everything was for nothing. He had been helping a mad man achieve his goals. Aizen…had lied to him. He used him. Sora was angry that he hadn't figured it all out sooner. But another question filled Sora's mind. Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, did they know about this? Did they know about Aizen's true plan and had kept him in the dark? Regardless, Sora got up and took the papers and made his way to turn when…

The door slammed shut.

"It's not polite to spy on other people, Sora." Sora's eyes widen when he saw Aizen, stepping out of the shadow. "It seems you've been spending a lot of time with Gin."

Sora's eyes quickly shifted to anger. "YOU! You brought me here!"

"Now Sora, let's not start pointing fingers shall we." Aizen said, though by the tone of his voice, he wasn't denying his accusation.

Sora gritted his teeth in disgust. "Aizen…I know everything."

"Then what's there to discuss." He said.

"Plenty!" He roared, throwing the file that read "The Ōken" at him, which he dodged effortlessly. "I know that thing I read about in your file was the same thing that I fought! I know you're planning to destroy Karakura Town! And I know about that…Hō-gyu-ku…thing!"

"Ah, I see now." Aizen smirked. "So, your more intelligent than I gave you credit for."

The Keyblade wielder looked at the leader of Las Noches before saying. "Tell me, everything you told me about the Soul Society…was a lie?"

Aizen shook his head. "I never lied when I told you about the Soul Society's corruption."

"But I thought you were going to make the world a better place!?" Sora said.

"And that is exactly what I am doing." Aizen stated. "When I become the victor in this war, I will be able to determine how the fate of the worlds should be. One ruled by the right hands."

Sora looked at him in disgust. Yeah, he was going to make the world a better place…for HIMSELF! Aizen smiled as he walked forward. "Why are you so upset Sora? You wanted to know the truth and I gave it to you."

Sora got into a fighting position. "You didn't tell me everything. Why did you bring me here? What could you gain from this!? And why are you telling me all this now when you could've just try to deny all of it!"

Aizen smirked. "Because, I realized that it would be tedious from this point on to prevent you from learning the truth. To be completely honest, you, being here in this room, was entirely my doing"

Sora blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that."

"I mean, I wanted you to know the truth. And I was right not to count on Starrk to watch over you." Aizen explained. "I knew that after that last encounter in the throne room that you were determined to search for answers. I've tried for so long to keep the truth from you that it was beginning to grow tiresome. Fortunately, my little 'side project' just finished earlier today. So, I have no reason to continue manipulating you anymore."

Sora glared harder at Aizen and asked. "But why did you bring me here in the first place? How did you bring me here!? You didn't answer that."

"I believe you've read that part in the file." Aizen stated. Sora thought about what he read. Aizen said he guided him here through the person he holds dear. Maiden of pure light. Of...pure...

Sora's eyes widened at this revelation. "Kairi!"

Aizen grinned him satisfaction. "You are correct."

"So...Kairi's…" Gritting his Sora, he yelled as he summoned his Keyblade, charging towards Aizen. "AIZEN!"

Sora leaped in the air, prepared to attack him. Rather than make an effort, Aizen merely raised two fingers, stopping the blade. "Now, now, let's not act rashly." He lightly scolded.

Feeling an immense pressure, Sora's eyes snapped wide as he jumped back. Still glaring at him, Sora asked. "Where is she!?"

"She is safe." He merely stated. "I must admit though, bringing her here would have been very difficult. That is...had Master Xehanort not opened Kingdom Hearts."

"Xehanort!?" What did Ansem's apprentice have to do with this? And Kingdom Hearts.

"Unfortunately, you're lack of memories makes this difficult for you to understand." Aizen said. Sora was really getting fed up about this whole mind reading thing. 'But, what you need to know is you made the choice to recklessly use the Power of Waking to find her and that is what led you here. Even your memory loss made everything simple."

Growing more confused, Sora asked. "What do you want from me?! What do you want!?"

Chuckling at this, Aizen just said. "For all the hard work that you have done over the past month, I believe you deserve an explanation. The truth is…I need your Keyblade, Sora."

"You want my Keyblade?" Sora said.

Aizen nodded. "The truth is Sora, I've known about the Keyblade long before I ever became captain. Even before becoming a Soul Reaper. You see Sora, all the worlds you've traveled to, while all have their different rules, they all share one thing in common; death. Another job that the Soul King has is to regulate the amount of Souls that enter and leave the Soul Society. Since there are too many Souls, he chose to focus more time on them and gave all power to Central 46."

"However, the only world that the Soul King can affect is the Human World. Which leads to wonder what will happen to the state of the other worlds. Tell me Sora, ever since you've gained your Keyblade you have fought for the security of the other worlds."

"Well…yeah." Sora admitted.

"And yet, there are people out there like your enemies who have made several attempts to try and destroy the peace you have been trying to achieve." Aizen stated.

Sora didn't say nothing. To be honest, he was right. People like Maleficent, Pete, Ansem, the Organization. It seemed that everywhere he went, there were always people of darkness who tried and disturb the safety of the worlds.

"That all must frustrate you correct?" Aizen asked, not that he needed to hear Sora's reply to know how he felt. "So, that is why I decided that after I become the Soul King, I want you to provide me passage to the other worlds."

Sora's eyes widen in shock. He wanted him to use the Keyblade to take him to other worlds.

"Call it a partnership of sorts." Aizen went on. "You guide me to other worlds and in return, I will silence all those who try to destroy the worlds and who oppose our rule."

Sora looked at him, questionably. "Rule? You mean you want to conquer the worlds."

Aizen chuckled. "I merely wish to guide them to how they should be, not with how they currently operate. Master Xehanort's ambition to return the universe to its original state was admirable. Unfortunately, his consciousness got the better of him and abandoned all of his plans. His will was too weak, unlike mine. I am prepared to do everything to achieve my desires."

"And that's by ruling the worlds through fear. What if those people don't want you to rule them? Would you kill them to?" The Keyblade wielder asked angrily.

"Death is necessary at times." Aizen said in a calm voice, much to Sora's disgust.

"How can you take that so lightly!?" Sora yelled as he started to back away. But Aizen raised his hand.

"There is no escape." Aizen said. Then, a smirk appeared on his face as he said. "Think about my proposal before you make any reckless decisions. Sora, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. The one that has laid dormant within you for so long."

" _Dormant inside me?"_ Sora thought. _"Could he mean…her?"_

"Join me, Sora." Aizen said. "Think of all we can accomplish. With our combined strength, we can rule all the worlds and end all this destructive conflict. No one will stand in our way." With that, Aizen reached out with his left hand towards Sora. The Keyblade Wielder narrowed at his eyes as he tightened his hands.

"This is your only chance to become a true ally of mine. I will ask you this, Sora…will you join me in ruling the worlds together? Aizen offered.

Sora looked down as he tried to think of an answer. His bangs covered his eyes as he turned his attention to the leader of Las Noches and said. "It's true that there will always be conflict in each world."

Aizen raised his eyebrow in question. "And it's true that there will always be people who try to undo the peace I've been fighting for. But still…" Sora looked up at Aizen, his eyes narrowed in determination. "Even in the darkest times, there will always be a light that shines. Through all those times, I've made friends that really care about me. and I care about them as well. It was thanks to them that I made it this far. I'd be nothing without them. I care about those people and I'm not gonna let you hurt them! So, as for your offer, Aizen…You can go to hell!"

With that said, Sora looked determined. "I'm gonna find Kairi. Then, we're gonna get out of here.."

Listening to that, Aizen kept smiling as he closed his eyes and lifted his hand down. He opened his eyes once again and said. "I expected you to say that…but it's still somewhat a shame to hear. Now that I know how you truly feel, it would seem that our alliance…is over."

All of a sudden, the lights in the room turned on and shined brightly. Sora was caught off guard by the light that he was soon attacked by several people. When his eyes finally adjusted, he glanced around and saw several men wearing the typical Arrancar uniform. Only difference is that their heads were covered completely by human shaped skulls.

"Sora, I would like for you to meet the Exequias. A unit that specializes in executing." Aizen said. "I had anticipated your answers and ordered them to wait accordingly."

They were waiting for him. Sora realized that he was trapped. He raised his hand to summon his Keyblade but suddenly Sora collapsed to the ground, as if the gravity had increased. He looked up and saw Aizen releasing his spiritual pressure. Despite his efforts, Sora could not get up. Aizen smiled at Sora's helplessness and cued one of the Exequias to press a red button on the wall.

The Arrancar did so and the wall began to open up. Inside, there was a capsule, with several wires connect to a large computer. The computer showed a picture of Sora's DNA signature.

"What's going on?!" Sora asked. Aizen kept smiling as he answered. "Now that I know that you won't join me willingly, I'm afraid that I am left with no choice but to use force." Then, Aizen released his spiritual pressure to push Sora straight into the device. Sora tried to get off, but was soon strapped down on the machine. He gritted his teeth as he couldn't escape.

"What are you gonna do me!?" Sora said struggling.

"What you are currently in right now is a special device I had Szayelaporro work on for months." Aizen explained. "The machine has locked on to your DNA signature and when it begins, it will trigger the small cluster of neurons that will force you to recall all your memories, even the ones that haven't resurfaced. Then, after it has examined all of your brain cells, it will begin removing those neurons. When the machine has neared its completion…

" _ **You will lose all of your memory!"**_

Sora's eyes widened in fright. Lose all his memories. But what's going to happen then?

"When your memories are destroyed you will be reduced to an empty puppet." Aizen went on. "A mere shell of your former self. Free to do whatever I please. A puppet who's only purpose will be to serve me. Mindless but obedient."

Sora struggled harder. "No! You can't do that!"

"I can and will." Aizen replied as the capsules door began to close. "You should have accepted my offer when I had asked nicely. But no need to worry, it will all be over soon enough."

The door closed. From the small window, a still struggling Sora saw Aizen walk over to the computer, reaching for the button to turn on the machine.

"Wait! Stop! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!"

Aizen pressed the button.

* * *

In Kairi's prison cell, the red-haired girl perked up as she looked around. She didn't why, but she felt something omnibus was happening now. Feeling her anxiety, Naminé's heart began resonating from her heart.

 _"Kairi! What's wrong!?"_ Naminé's voice asked.

Kairi remained silent for a moment. Then, she said. "I...I think Sora...is in trouble."

" _Oh no!_ " The blonde cried. " _Something must have happened between him and this Aizen person._ "

Kairi began to grow worried. "What are we going to do?"

" _I'm not sure if there's anything we can do?"_ Naminé said, regretfully. Kairi looked at her cuffs, the ones that prevented her from summoning her Keyblade and escape herself. Now, her best friend was in danger and she couldn't do anything about.

Letting out a gasp, Kairi realized she was doing it again. Lamenting on her being powerless instead of focusing on what to do now. She couldn't just give up now with her friend so close to her. She had to do something.

At that moment, Kairi's resolve shot up. "I have to do something. I have to save Sora."

" _What do you plan to do?_ " She asked. " _You can't summon your Keyblade with those handcuff on."_

"Then I'll just have to take them off by force." Kairi said. "Aizen may have prevented me from summoning my Keyblade but he didn't take away my power of my pure light."

" _Will that be enough?_ " Naminé asked.

"I have to try." The red-haired girl merely said. "All this time I've been blaming myself for being weak that I nearly gave up. But it's time I step up and keep my promise to protect Sora."

Smiling at her newfound resolve, Naminé said. "Then don't let anything stop you." With that, her light faded once more.

Kairi stepped back as she began channeling all the power she could, hoping it will be enough to shatter these cuff so she can escape and make her way to save Sora.

* * *

Inside Las Noches, Aqua was lying face down on the sand. Her body began to stir as she slowly regained consciousness, then groaned as she got to her hands and knees. After standing up, Aqua searched her surroundings. It looked like she was still in Hueco Mundo, due to the desolate landscape, but was shocked her was that it was morning.

"Where am I?" She asked herself. "Am I still in Hueco Mundo? I wasn't expecting it to be morning already. Could I have been unconscious for that long?" Her eyes widened as she just remembered the incident that separated her from the others.

"That's right! Everyone's missing! Terra! Ven! Riku! Everyone!" Aqua shouted out. No one answered. "Looks like we all got separated." She surmised. Aqua then scouted the area, looking for any nearby buildings. "They should be here somewhere. I better take a look around." With that, Aqua ran off into the desert, searching for her comrades.

* * *

Meanwhile, Riku had woken up in another area of Las Noches. He had been walking around the area hoping to run into the others.

"This is taking too long." Riku sighed. "I've been calling to everyone for a couple of minutes now but nothing. I wish I knew where to go."

Suddenly, Riku spotted a few buildings in the distance. One of those buildings had a bridge that connected to a tall structure with a large green rooftop.

"Looks like a good place to start." Riku said before making his way to the buildings.

* * *

During that moment, Terra and Ven had woken up at another location of Las Noches. Terra was looking off into the distance.

"I didn't think this world even had mornings?" He mused.

Ven rubbed his head. "Are you sure we're still in Hueco Mundo?"

Terra looked unsure. "I can't really tell. But I'm certain that the landscape does match the one we were in last time."

"I hope Aqua and the others are alright. Ven asked, worried about his friends safety.

The brown-hair man also shared his friend's worries but knew their was no time for it. He placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. We'll figure out where we're at. And I'm sure we'll find the others." He assured, causing Ven to smile.

With that settle Terra looked ahead. "Come. We better start moving if we want answers."

The blonde boy nodded. "Yeah, we won't learn anything standing around here." Scouring the area, Ven pointed at an area where numerous red pillars were sticking out of. "How 'bout that way."

Terra looked at that direction. "I guess that a good place to start. Come on Ven. We better move now!"

With that, Terra and Ven dashed toward that direction.

* * *

At the same time, Roxas, Xion, and Lea were walking around the area searching for everyone else. They had ended up separating from their friends and were now lost as well.

"Do you have any idea where the others are at?" Roxas asked.

"Hmm, no clue." Lea answered. "Probably got swept away by that tornado. They could've ended up anywhere here in this dump."

Xion sighed. "So, it looks like we're on our own from this point. As if it wasn't enough to lose Sora and now everyone else is lost."

"We'll figure something out." Roxas assured. "I'm sure we'll find the others. Besides, they can take care of themselves."

"He's right. And get this memorized; just stick with Lea and everything will be a-okay." Lea stated.

"I'll try to remember that." Xion giggled. The Sea-Salt Trio continued to walk through the desert, hoping to come upon anybody.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep within the Forest of Menos, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy where walking through the giant forest, looking cautious.

"I don't like the looks of this place." Goofy said.

"Just keep moving, it will be better than staying here." Donald said, though he was slightly creeped out.

"Donald's right. This forest could be filled with all kinds of monsters." Mickey said. "It's better we try to find a way outta here."

Goofy nodded. "You're right. Hopefully we'll…" Suddenly, Goofy yelped as he fell on the ground.

"Goofy, are you okay?" Donald asked, as Goofy rose up.

"I'm fine Donald." Goofy said, getting up. "Must've tripped on something."

Looking at where last walked, Mickey noticed a pile of sand from where he had tripped.

"What's wrong your majesty?" Donald asked.

The King looked at the sand for a moment before realizing. "This sand looks dug up. I think there's something buried underneath it."

"Really?" Goofy asked before noticing the sand's disposition. "Your right!"

"What do you think it is?" The duck asked.

"I don't know." Mickey asked before saying. "C'mon fellas, help me get em out."

The two nodded and the Disney Trio dug through the sand. After a minute, they came across a body of red-haired man. He wore black robes that were torn up and his body was covered in numerous bruises and he was bleeding.

"Hey, are you alright?" Donald asked, shaking the body. The body began to stir as the man regained a bit of consciousness. He looked up and saw Kairi and Mickey.

"W-who…are y-you?" He asked, weakly.

Mickey smiled, relived he was okay. "My name's Mickey and these are my pals Donald and Goofy."

The two said there hellos. "We're here to help ya." Goofy said.

"Can you tell us your name?" Mickey asked. The man thought about it for a moment before replying.

"Ashido…Kanō."

* * *

Sora opened his eyes. He shot up and realized that he was laying down on his bed. Looking around, he can see that he was back in his bedroom. Opening his window, he saw that the sun had risen, shining brightly at the other houses and made the sea sparkle. He couldn't help but feel confused. What was going on? It felt like he had woken up from an intense dream. Come to think of it, what was he dreaming about?

"Sora! Breakfast is ready! Come on down!" Someone called.

Sora shook his head and smiled. "Coming mom!" Sora decided to deal with that later and started getting dressed. He wore a white, short-sleeved shirt, with the collar opened. He had a loose, blue tie on and wore navy blue khaki pants and brown shoes. He grabbed a black satchel and went downstairs.

Entering the kitchen, he saw his mother setting the table. She was a young, beautiful woman with brown hair that reached her shoulders and blue eyes like Sora. She wore a white dress blouse with the sleeves rolled to her elbows. He had on a blue dress that reached her knees with brown stockings around her legs and sandals. She also wore a pink apron.

She looked and noticed her son walking in. "Morning mom."

"Wow, you actually got out of bed." She remarked. "And here I thought I'd have to drag you out like last time."

"C'mon, mom." Sora teased. "You know me. I'm a new person." His mom happily sighed and the two sat down and enjoyed a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs.

"Do you have any plans after school?" His mom asked while slicing eggs.

"Nothing, really." Sora replied. "I might just come home after class is done. Is something wrong?"

His mom shook her head. "No. It's just that I'm working an extra shift tonight. So, I'll be home really late."

"Don't worry." He reassured. "I'll be fine on my own tonight. It's not like I'm gonna burn the house down."

"That's what worries me." She said. "Anyways, there are some leftovers in the fridge that you can reheat. And make sure you do your homework and go to bed."

"Yeah, I will." Sora said.

His mom then smiled warmly. "You know son…you've really grown up."

"Where that come from?" He said taking a bite out of his bacon.

"I mean you've really matured." His mother said. "You've been becoming more responsible lately that I'm glad you did so without stopping being the same boy I raised."

"You're exaggerating." Sora lightly joked.

"Well, you can't help that I'm right." She said. "I'm sure your father would be proud of you."

Sora stopped for a bit before giving a sad smile. "Yeah…I'm sure he would."

* * *

Sora soon stepped out of the house, seeing the rest of the kids his age running down the straight wearing the same uniform as his. It was the school rush hour.

"I gotta go, bye mom!" Sora shouted as he ran off.

"Bye, Sora!" She shouted back, seeing her son running off.

Sora was running as fast as he could, seeing the school from the distance. As he ran, his mind drifted back to that strange feeling he was having. It was like something was happening to him. Something very bad. But he couldn't put his finger on what it was. The more he tried to ignore it, the more it started nagging on him.

"Hey, Sora!" Called out someone. He turned to see two people behind him. One of them was a boy with disheveled blond hair with spiky layers and blue eyes. He had an x-shaped scar on his right cheek. He had on the same uniform Sora has but the shirt was left opened, showing the top of his bare chest.

The second one was another male. He was tall and muscled, with tan skin, brown eyes, and long reddish-orange hair styled into a coif and girted with blue headscarf. He also had on the same uniform but the pants were baggier and closed up halfway down his lower legs. He also wore a fish necklace over his tie.

"Morning, Tidus. Wakka." He said to them respectively.

"What's up, man." Wakka said, wrapping his arm around Sora's shoulder in a buddy manner. "You look kinda dazed there, brudda." Wakka told Sora, "But then again, you always spacing out where ever ya are."

"I've been told that." Sora said. "Guess I must've slept late again."

"Better be careful. Otherwise you might end up falling asleep in history class!" Tidus said. He then pulled out a wooden sword. "By the way, you ready for another round after class?"

Sora shook his head. "Can't today. Promised my mom I'd look after the house while she was working late tonight."

"Besides, he'd probably kick your butt again anyways." Said someone. They looked to see two girls standing before them. One of the had brown, impractical hair and green eyes. She wore the same uniform, but instead had a blue plaid skirt, with navy blue socks that reach her knees and black shoes

The other girl looked more intimidating. She had red eyes and her hair was braided in cornrows that lead into a bun and long braids tied into a knot with four ornamented pins, except for her long forelock. Her school uniform had been modified. She wore a black collar around her neck, a spike wristband on her left arm and a black arm warmer on right arm that reached her elbow. She wore a loose black belt with a silver buckle and a chain that connect to it. She had black stockings reached her thighs and also had on large knee-high boots with two straps on the top. All in all, she had a punk girl appearance.

"Who asked you, Selphie?" Tidus snapped. "Lulu, you're not gonna let her say that!?"

"Why should I when you know she's right." She impassively joked. "Try to pick opponents you know you can beat."

"Wakka, back me up here?" He asked his friend. He noticed that he wasn't paying attention. Instead the only thing he was focusing on was Lulu.

Tidus noticed that and smiled mischievously. "So…Wakka ol'buddy. Tell me, how's the view. I'm sure many images just flashed into your head right now." He said, slyly.

Wakka snapped out of his thoughts and glared at Tidus. Next thing he knew, he was put into a choke hold by Wakka, who was choking the life out of him.

"Hey, come on guys!" Selphie cried. "Knock it off."

Lulu shook her head. "Idiots."

Sora just chuckled. It was nice to have friends like them.

* * *

Soon, class had started. It was the middle of the day and Sora was seated at the very end of the class, next to the window. He was currently taking notes as he listened to the teacher giving the class another lecture on history. Of course, all Sora could hear was blah, blah, blah.

He sighed, bored out of his mind and looked out the window. He was having some trouble concentrating anyways. He had looked around the classroom and noticed two empty seats; one in front of him and the other next to the right. And yet, nobody really noticed. He couldn't help but think that something was off today. Like something was missing and it made him feel incomplete.

"Sora?" Said a voice called. Sora flinched and turned to see the teacher looking at him, sternly. He realized that he hadn't been paying attention to what was being said in class at all. "Since you have time to daydream in my class, then you must've already covered the current passage?" The teacher said, sarcastically.

"W-well…I wouldn't say I covered it but…I did…uhh!" Sora said sheepishly. "I got nothing."

"Pay attention to what's happening during class or you'll be spending the next break going through remedial classes." The teacher informed him.

"Yes, sir." Sora replied, the class laughing at him. Sora resumed writing, figuring he should think about this stuff later.

* * *

School was finally let out. All the students quickly dashed out of the building and began either going home or hanging out with their friends. Tidus and Wakka went off to play some Blitzball. Selphie and Lulu had invited Sora to come with them to this new café but he declined, saying he had to look after the house.

Now, Sora had just come back to his house, with plenty of homework to work on. Obviously, the house was empty. He did see a note on the fridge, reminding him to clean up the living room and take out the trash. Sora put the note down and decided to get to it after he did his homework. As he went to the stairs, he saw an old picture frame. Three people could be seen. In the middle was a younger Sora, four-years-old, smiling widely. To the left was his mother, though her hair was longer back then. And the man in the right looked like a grown version of Sora. He had the similar hairstyle he had, though he had a mullet that reached his shoulders and a five o'clock shadow. He was none other than Sora's father.

Sora recalled somethings about his father. He was a fisherman who often aspired to go out to sea and explore new places. On days he wasn't working, he would often take Sora to the island next to their's and play pirates with him. He even taught him how to row his boat. Then, one day when he was five, his father went on another fishing trip with his friends but their ship had been caught in a terrible storm and hit by a rogue wave. The rescue team the mayor sent came back and reported no survivors. That was the last he saw his dad.

Sora had already retreated to his room, where he went to his desk and leaned back on his chair. He was so young when his dad died, he hardly knew anything about him. Most of those things he heard were from people at the docks that knew him. His mother also shared some things about him. Sora could tell that she really loved him. He often caught her crying but see denied it, saying there was something in her eyes.

He had started working on his homework, but for some reason, he was having a hard time concentrating. He kept thinking about his father and what he had dreamed for him. He once told him to go out and see the world when he was older and build stronger connections. Sora couldn't help but admire that goal and it was thanks to a friend that he was able to do it.

A friend? Sora's eyes widened in confusion as he placed his hand on his chest. What friend was that? For some reason, he was feeling like something wasn't there for some reason. But what could he have been missing? He pondered that question for a moment when suddenly…

* * *

Back in Las Noches, Aizen observed the machine as he watched an Arrancar monitored Sora's vitals.

"What is the status?" Aizen asked him.

"98% completion." The Arrancar responded. "In just a few moments, the machine will have begun the de-memorization process."

Aizen smiled wickedly. "Excellent." He walked over to the capsule and faced the unconscious Sora inside. "You've certainly proven to be more trouble then I originally gave you credit for. Starrk and Halibel have certainly changed because of you. But in the end, they will come to see that no amount of friendship you have given them will replace their loyalties."

Aizen soon turned to walk back. "Feel grateful that I choose you out of a handful of Keyblade Wielders. After all, you are a special one." Aizen smirked. "You hold a soul very dear to me. One you had sheltered long before Master Xehanort's failed apprentice came to you. The soul of my…"

However, before Aizen could finish, within Sora's capsule, something started to shine. "What?!" Aizen gasped, seeing the light. The light shined so brightly that he and the others were forced to shield their eyes.

"What's happening?!" Aizen yelled.

"I don't know Lord Aizen!" the Arrancar exclaimed. "It's as if something from within the subject is damaging the machine!"

Aizen gritted his teeth and stared at the capsule. Could it be?

* * *

Sora put his hands on her head, getting an intense headache. One that felt to familiar. He looked around and saw his whole room rumble, like a sort of earthquake. Then, to his horror, his whole room stated coming apart, and he was surrounded by a white vortex. He looked down to see a lone floor-board he was standing on.

"What's going on?!" The Keyblade Wielder cried in surprise, "What's happening to my room?!" He tried backing away but realized he had nowhere to go. Suddenly, the floor-board from beneath finally broke apart, and Sora screamed as he fell into the endless abyss.

* * *

Sora had his eyes closed. Too afraid to open them. However, the moment he did, he found himself standing in a shining platform. The platform was light blue, with a picture of his younger self, sleeping on the right side of the platform. The pattern that circled the platform were crown pictures that looked like his pendant. Underneath was a picture of his own world, the Destiny Islands. Next to Sora, were four faces; Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy.

"Where am I?" He said, looking around. "This place. And these people. Why do they look familiar?" Suddenly, a flurry of images rushed to his head. Sora grabbed his head and fell to his knees, the pain being more intense than anything he had felt. After a minute, the headache subsided and Sora eye's widened, as if he had just remembered something. "Riku…Kairi…Donald…Goofy. My friends."

Sora looked around. He remembered this place. One he had went to a year ago. Dive to the heart. His Station of Awakening. "What just happened? Why was I dreaming being in my world? And why did I forget my best friends?" Sora thought out loud until he remembered his confrontation with Aizen. How he learned the truth of his plans and refused to join. That's when Aizen placed him into this machine that will erase all his memories and turn him into a mindless puppet.

"Aizen's machine." Sora narrowed his eyes. "It must have put me into some kind of illusion while it took away my memories. I almost forgot who I was." Sora then looked around. "But, how did I even end up here?"

"It's because I called for you here." Said a voice. Sora turned to see the same hooded figure standing before him.

"You!" He called out. "I've seen you before. You're that girl from my visions."

The cloaked girl giggled. "Well, I guess this is the first time we've met face to face. Am I right…Sora."

Sora's eyes widened. "How do you know my name? Actually, who are you?"

The girl didn't say anything as she grabbed her hood. "Who am I, you ask. Well I good answer would be…" The girl removed her hood that revealed her appearance. The girl's face looked similar to Sora, although it was more feminine. She had chestnut blonde hair, that appeared to be shoulder length, though she had it tied with a white ribbon to the right side of her head in a corkscrew ponytail style. Judging by her appearance, she looked no older than Sora. "…I am you."

That answer only served to confuse Sora further. "You are me? What's that supposed to mean?"

The girl let out a small laugh as she said. "Well, to put it simply I'm like a conscious of sorts. You could call me your guardian angel."

"My…guardian…angel." Sora was still confused but decided to ask. "Well, do you have a name?"

The girl nodded. "You can call me…Kalgara."

"Kalgara." Sora parroted. He then smiled. "Okay then, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She said.

"So, why did you call me here?" He asked, causing Kalgara's expression to become serious. "You're here because I can sense that you're troubled. Whenever you're facing severe physical stress or mental stress, it's my job to point you to the right direction."

"Like a conscious, right?" Sora guessed, she nodded.

"Yes." Kalgara said. "I could since you were in great peril from Sōsuke's device. It put you into a dream world while it worked on destroying your memories. So, that's when I decided to act accordingly and saved you. I brought you to your own station of awakening to protect you."

"So, you've been inside me this whole time?" Sora asked. "But, why is it that were only meeting now?"

"Because you didn't need me at the time." Kalgara replied. "You had the help of plenty of hearts that you welcomed into your own."

Sora paused for a moment before several images passed into his head. "You mean…Ventus…Roxas…and Xion."

"And more." Kalgara said. "Your friend, Kairi used her heart to prevent you from feeding away the first time.

Sora remembered that Kairi was the one who held on to him, which was how he ended up in the Final World.

"You had so many hearts protecting you that I had decided it wasn't the right time for us to meet. I'm sure you must have questions…"

"I don't." Sora blankly replied.

Kalgara did a double take. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I said I don't have any questions." Sora said. "At first, I did. But after a while, I felt that if you must have important reason for not meeting me until now. Reasons that I'm probably not ready to hear." Sora placed his hands behind his head and smiled. "So, I'll wait until you can tell me all about yourself."

Kalgara said nothing for a moment but then chuckled in amusement. "It seems you learned to become more patient. You have certainly matured more than I could have expected."

Sora chuckled. "Yeah, maybe a little." He smiled for a moment before asking something else. "Tell me. What's gonna happen now?"

"In a few minutes, you will wake up back in Hueco Mundo with all your memories intact." Kalgara explained. "What you choose to do afterwards is your decision."

Sora though about something. "Well, when I wake up. The first thing I'm gonna do is fight Aizen…"

"You can't." Kalgara interrupted Sora. "Sōsuke is at a league higher than even yours. To fight him on your own will lead to death."

"But…I have to do something!" Sora claimed. "Aizen plans to wipe out an entire town! If I don't stop him, thousands of people are going to die!"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't Sōsuke at all." Kalgara continued. "I'm saying you shouldn't fight him alone. If you truly wish to stop him, you'll need to gather allies and challenge Sōsuke in numbers."

"Allies?" Sora wondered until something came to mind. "You mean the Soul Reapers."

"Yes." She agreed. "Go to Karakura Town and offer your allegiance. I'm positive they'll accept your help."

Sora looked down as another thought came to mind. "But if I fight with the Soul Reapers then…" It didn't take a second for Kalgara to find out what he was thinking of. "I see. Part of you thinking about the friends you made ever since joining Sōsuke's side."

Sora smiled slightly. "Yeah. Those guys…it was thanks to them that I started having fun memories of this place. Those guys are my friends and I promised we would be together. But, if go and fight for the Soul Reapers, then I'm afraid…"

"Because of their loyalty to Sōsuke, you are afraid of having to fight the people you called your friends." Kalgara once again finished his thoughts.

"Exactly." Sora agreed. "I can fight Aizen and the other Espada, no problem. But I can't bring myself to ever fight Starrk, Halibel, Lilynette, Apacci, Mila-Rose, and Sung-Sun."

"Tell me Sora. What was the promise you made to Aqua?" Kalgara asked. Sora looked at her curiously.

"The promise?" He asked until he remembered. "That's right. The promise was that if my friends ever fell to darkness then I would…

"Bring them out of it." Kalgara finished. "If you feel that your friends are being manipulated by Sōsuke, then it's your job to bring them back."

"But Starrk said that he feels that he owes Aizen a debt. And Halibel said she's grateful because Aizen saved her life. Sora said. "I don't think Aizen was ever manipulating them."

"If that is true then the only solution will be to fight them with everything you have." Kalgara said, causing Sora to turn to her.

"But, they're my friends." Sora told her.

"And they're being mislead by Sōsuke." Kalgara told him. "To free your friends, you'll have to fight them with all your power. But remember, what is it that you still have?"

"My…" Sora pondered for a moment before seeing Kalgara point to her chest. "My heart."

"Exactly." She nodded. "I read in a book once that people are able to understand one another by fighting each other. With the strength of your heart, you'll surely be able to reach out to theirs and establish a connection."

Sora looked up into the sky. He began remembering everything from his journeys ever since he first gained the Keyblade. From battling Riku, Maleficent, Ansem, Organization XIII, Xemnas, Young Xehanort, the true Organization XIII and Master Xehanort.

Then he remembered all the friends he made. Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Ven, Terra, Lea, Roxas, Xion, Naminé, and all the people from the worlds he saved.

Then he remembered his adventures in Hueco Mundo. Meeting Aizen, Gin, Kaname, and the Espada. The times he spent with Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. Then to Meeting Ashidō and fighting alongside him. Meeting Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka. Teaming up with Gantenbainne. And his mission to Karakura Town.

Everything he had been through had led up to this moment. Now, Sora knew the decision he had to make.

"Your right." Sora said. "I made a mistake by joining Aizen. But I got to make some great friends because of it. I'm going to fight Aizen and if they don't feel like helping." Sora summoned his Keyblade. "I'll make them come to their senses."

Kalgara smiled. "Now, that's the decision I was hoping you'd say."

Soon, the area around them was beginning to rumble. Sora looked to see the stain-glass was beginning to crack. Sora looked and saw Kalgara becoming transparent.

"What the!" Sora looked around frantically. "What's going on!?"

"I told you that you will have to wake." Kalgara informed. "The time has now come and as a result, this station is vanishing. You will soon wake up in the Las Noches."

"But you can't go now!" Sora cried. "What if I have more questions! How will I talk to you!?"

"Remember what I said." Kalgara reminded. "I am you. If you need to see me, you'll find a way." Kalgara closed her eyes and could see that in the waking world, Aizen and the Exequias were standing in front of the machine. The Exequias had their swords out, ready to attack. "It looks like they're not planning on letting you leave without a fight."

"Then what do we do?" Sora asked.

Kalgara looked at Sora and smirked. "I have an idea."

* * *

Back in the machine room, Aizen and the Exequias were still staring at the machine, still giving off a bright glow. The intense light was causing the machine to vibrate and produce sparks. The monitor was also going off the charts.

"Lord Aizen!" The Arrancar cried. "The Machines overloading! It can't sustain the power anymore!" Suddenly, the monitor exploded, sending the Arrancar flying. Aizen looked to see the wires breaking of and the machine falling in one itself.

"Impossible!" Aizen gasped. "How could he have overcome the machine!?" Unless…

Then, the machine's door flew off. Smoke was coming out from the inside that made it difficult to see Sora. Aizen signaled the Exequias to stand back, wanting to confront Sora. However, when the smoke cleared, Aizen's eyes widened as all color drained from his face. He had always been smug, aloof, master manipulator, master tactician that even if there were any unforeseen contents to his plans, he learned to adapt and never lost his composer.

But there was no way he could ever compose himself after what he was seeing. "It can't be…" He breathed.

Standing before everyone was none other than Kalgara. However, she wasn't wearing her cloak anymore. Instead, she had on a white collar sleeveless shirt, with a short red tie, two separate white sleeves with two blue straps on each upper arm. She wore black tight shorts, a brown belt with pouches, long black socks the reached her thighs, and brown military boots with white straps going down each leg.

She looked up and gave a small smile at the stunned Aizen. "It's been a long time, Sōsuke."

Aizen snapped out of his stupor and glared at her. "How are you here. You're supposed to be dead." He said on edge.

She shook her head. "It's sad to see what you have become. To think you would go to such extreme lengths."

Aizen narrowed his eyes. "The worlds haven't changed since you've been gone. Even with the passing millennium, Soul Reapers and Keyblade Wielders have strived for peace, yet die with their hopes for a better future dashed."

"And their will, will be passed on to another." Kalgara countered.

"Only for the same results to happen." Aizen retorted. "I wish to alter that realty when I become Soul King."

Kalgara sighed disappointingly. "You still don't understand. Looking back, I can't help wonder where I went wrong. What lesson didn't you learn. I had hoped for you to have been brought up differently. My…"

Aizen snapped. "KILL HER!"

All the Exequias lunged towards Kalgara with their swords raised. Kalgara however, stood firm and raised her hand, which began glowing. Aizen's eyes widened as he immediately realized what she was planning to do. He raised his hands. "Bakudo #73!"

Suddenly, Kalgara released an enormous beam of light that destroyed all the Exequias stationed there. The attack was so immense that Aizen's shield couldn't hold up and he was repelled back. He slid across the floor, his bangs falling on his face. Looking up, he saw the room was partially destroyed. Kalgara was standing in front of a large gaping hole in the back. She turned back as he glared in ire.

"It seems there has been a hindrance to your plans." She said. "Rest assured, you will see Sora again. Only he will see that your plans will be thwarted. Make no mistake of that." With that, Kalgara leaped into the hole.

Meanwhile, Aizen had been complicating on this recent turn of events. " _Sora…you truly are her…"_ He had known of Sora potential but even he wasn't expecting his connection to be that strong. Of course, with his machine damaged and Sora running off, there was now a good chance that he will meet Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends and join forces with them. He couldn't let that happen.

"My, my, my…" Aizen didn't even need to turn to see Gin standing by the door. "That was a splendid performance."

"Gin." Aizen said. "How long were you standing there?"

"Just got here." Gin replied. "Heard that big explosion and rushed right over here." Another question came to mind. "So, it looks like Sora-boy has turned against us."

Aizen nodded. "It would appear so."

"What are you gonna do?" Gin asked curiously. Before Aizen could answer, Tōsen came running.

"Lord Aizen! What happened!?" He asked, having heard the explosion.

Aizen said nothing at first. He moved his bangs with his hand, returning his hair to his original style. Then he turned to Tōsen and calmly asked. "Kaname…activate Tenteikūra."

Tōsen nodded. "Yes sir. But why?"

"Because…I have a message to deliver, to the Espada." Aizen replied.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: That's another chapter finished. This was the chapter where Sora discovered everything and I will say that due to Aizen's machine, Sora has regained all of his memories. Also, I will just point out that now Sora is capable of using his Second Form powers in his base form, so he does not need to change into it anymore. However, he still needs to use Synch Blade to access Formchange. He also now has access to all Fourth tier magic attacks.**_

 _ **You probably have some questions about what is Aizen's connection to Kalgara, the same with Sora. Well, I'm gonna be frank; the answer to that question won't be found in this story. I said that I have intentions of making a sequel taking place during the 1000 Year War arc. I plan to reveal that connection there along with other things.**_

 _ **Next Time: The Espada receive word of Sora's defection and some are left troubled. Sora races off to Orihime, stumbles upon Nel and finally meets a certain Substitute Soul Reaper. Please review.**_


	13. Unsaid, Unheard!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Thirteen chapters done. I'm making great time. Please enjoy and I have somethings to say at the end. I own nothing.**_

 _ **(Cue opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 13: "Unsaid, Unheard! The Rebellion Against Aizen!"**_

Last time, Sora had discovered that Aizen was responsible for his arrival in Hueco Mundo and had planned to use his Keyblade to grant him access to the outside worlds. Sora also discovered his true intentions were to sacrifice thousands of human souls in Karakura Town to create the Ōken and kill the Soul King and takeover the Soul Society. Aizen had offered Sora to join him but now Sora wanted nothing to do with Aizen and rebelled against him.

Having anticipated such a response, Aizen had prepared a machine and placed Sora into it. Its purpose was to destroy all of Sora's memories and transform him into a mindless puppet to serve Aizen forever. The plan had nearly succeeded, had Sora not have been saved by Kalgara, the mysterious figure who had been protecting Sora the entire time. She confronted Sora and encouraged him to fight against Aizen, even if it meant betraying the people he had befriended during his time in Hueco Mundo.

With her help, Kalgara took over Sora's body and escaped from Aizen's machine and the record room, much to the rogue Soul Reaper's fury. With no other choice left, Aizen makes his announcement. In every area of Las Noches, everyone paused what they were doing when they heard Aizen's voice.

" _Attention my dear Espada, I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news. As of this moment…Sora is no longer our ally."_

* * *

Yammy, Szayelaporro, Zommari, Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Ulquiorra, and Baraggan focused on Aizen's words as Halibel's eyes widened in shock. As did her Fracciónes.

"Sora…isn't our ally?" Apacci repeated, horrified.

"That's impossible!" Mila Rose tried to deny. "What the hell's going on!"

Sung-Sun looked shocked as well. "Master Halibel?" She looked at her mentor for answer but Halibel was still in thought. Sora wasn't their ally anymore. Could that mean he have… Halibel shook her head. She didn't want to think about that.

Meanwhile in Starrk's chambers, Lilynette had woken Starrk up because earlier, they had sensed that Aaroniero was killed by a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki. Lilynette had asked if Starrk cared but he didn't know what to do. They had noticed Sora was gone but were interrupted when they heard Aizen's announcement. Hearing what he said left them completely speechless.

"What's going on! What is Lord Aizen saying!?" Lilynette cried in confusion and frustration.

Starrk narrowed his eyes. The only reason Sora wouldn't be their ally is if he…

* * *

" _It would seem the inevitable truth was revealed. Sora discovered about our plans for Karakura Town and creating the Ōken. I had asked if he would join us willingly and he responded by assaulting me and fled somewhere in Las Noches. It would seem that Sora has decided to betray us and join forces with the intruders. With that said, here are my orders to all Arrancar; find Sora and kill him. Do not underestimate him. Also, please be aware that this turn of event will not cause a problem for our upcoming battle._ "

* * *

Yammy was in his room, laying down next to a puppy with a Hollow mask. He was covered with soft, light-brown fur, and his mask had large eye sockets and two small horns protruding above his long, drooping ears. He had the number 35 tattooed on his back. This was Kukkapūro, Yammy's companion that tends to follow him.

Yammy grinned as the announcement finished. "Looks like that kid's in hot water now."

* * *

Szayelaporro looked as if he was in the middle of a battle when his ears suddenly perked up by Aizen's news.

"My, this is an interesting development." The Eighth Espada said with a smile. Though, in another part of his mind, he wondered if Aizen used the machine he made or if Sora found out before he had a chance to use it?

* * *

Zommari was meditating in his room when he heard Aizen's news. He remained impassive for a while, until he got up.

"After I finish the Soul Reaper who killed Arroniero, I will find Sora and kill him." He declared, heading out.

* * *

Grimmjow was walking down the hall when he got the news. Hearing the orders, he grinned sadistically, "That's what I'm talking about. After I kill Ichigo, Sora's next."

* * *

Nnoitra and Tesla were somewhere inside Las Noches dome when they heard the announcement.

"Master Nnoitra." Tesla looked over at his master, curiously. "What do you make of…" He was interrupted when Nnoitra suddenly began laughing manically as he ran off.

"Finally! You hear that Sora! Lord Aizen has finally given the orders I've been waiting for! THAT MEANS YOUR ALL MINE NOW!" Nnoitra shouted, Tesla trying to keep up.

* * *

Having sensed the explosion at the record room, Ulquiorra had begun making his way there when he heard Aizen's orders. He said nothing at first until he closed his eyes and turned the other way.

"Whatever the reason, Lord Aizen's wishes will be carried out." The Fourth Espada said, emotionlessly.

* * *

Halibel and her Fracciónes looked on in utter shock.

"T-this has to be…a joke right." Apacci said softly. "S-Sora would n-never…"

"Wake up, Apacci!" Mila Rose snapped. "We've known Sora long enough to know that if he truly found out Lord Aizen plans he'd never go with it. That's why he ordered us to keep him in the dark!"

"SHUT YOUR FAT MOUTH, MILA ROSE!" Apacci roared. "I KNOW ALL THAT! I DON'T NEED SOMEONE LIKE YOU TO REMIND ME!"

"WHAT WAS THAT…" Mila Rose snapped back.

"ENOUGH!" The three girls froze in place when they heard the source of that loud voice. It was Halibel. She had her back turned and was crossing her arms. The girls never heard this kind of tone from there master before. But then again, she was also fond of Sora and didn't know what to make of this.

"M-Master Halibel." Sung-Sun spoke up. "What do we do?"

Halibel spotted a glance at them before turning back and said, "I…do not know." However, unknown to the girls, Halibel's hands were trembling.

" _Starrk, what do you make of this?"_ She thought.

* * *

Baraggan's Fracciónes were talking among themselves while Baraggan thought about the sudden turn of events. He grunted in annoyance. "Finally. Looks like he grew smart for once. Though if I had been the one giving the orders, that kid would've been dead a long time ago."

"What do we do your majesty?" Asked a slim male Arrancar. The remnants of his Hollow mask consisted of a smooth helmet covering the upper half of his face with orange eye holes and a row of teeth sewn across his chin like a strap. His Arrancar outfit vaguely resembled a Spanish soldier, customized with shoulder pads, knee-high boots, and a knife-like protrusion on both of his sleeves which extended along the top of his hands. He wore his hakama with the legs tucked into his boots. He had long, flowing blond hair

His name was Findorr Calius, a member of Baraggan's Fracciónes.

Baraggan scoffed. "I see no reason why I should clean up the boss' mess. I'll let the other Espada take care of him."

* * *

Starrk and Lilynette had heard Aizen's news to the end. They looked completely disheartened by what was happening.

Starrk roared and slammed his fist on the wall. "Damn it! What was that idiot thinking!" He gritted his teeth. Of all times like this, why did he…

"There's no way." Starrk looked to see Lilynette with a horrified expression. Her eye widened and her hands were trembling. "Sora…betrayed us. But that's impossible. He'd never help…"

Starrk sighed. He knew Lilynette would be hit hard by this. She looked up to Sora like a brother and best friend. Truthfully, Starrk was starting to feel the same way.

Starrk made his way to the door. Lilynette noticed. "Hey, where are you going?"

Starrk didn't turn as the door opened. He said, "I'm…gonna go find Sora. Maybe if I talk to him, we'll see what happened."

"I'm going with you." Lilynette made her way to the door until Starrk stopped her. "You can't go. Do what I say and stay here." He ordered, strictly. "I'll find out for you."

With that, Starrk left the room. Lilynette stood there with her arms crossed before huffing, "Yeah…like I ever listened to you." She then left the room, following Starrk.

* * *

Elsewhere, the Arrancars weren't the only ones to hear the news.

Terra and Ven stopped when they heard the voice in the air. They assumed that the voice belonged to that Aizen person they've heard of. But hearing his announcement confirmed somethings for them.

"If Sora just found out about their plans, then that means Sora really was tricked." Ven noted.

"It seems so. Otherwise, he never would have betrayed them." Terra agreed. "But now that he knows the truth that also means Sora is endangered of retaliation."

Ven realized that Terra was right. If Sora did betray the Arrancar then he could be at risk of being attacked any moment. Plus, they were still separated.

"Let's go." He turned to Ven. "We better move faster." The blonde nodded and the duo continued going on the direction they were heading.

* * *

Riku was racing to find the others when he heard what Aizen said. "I don't know who that was but now I know Sora really is here." Seeing the building ahead of him, Riku narrowed his eyes in determination. "I have to keep going. I just hope the others are doing better?"

* * *

Aqua heard the news like everyone else. She smiled in relief when she heard her friend was here but looked concerned when she learned he was being hunted by his former allies. While Sora was strong, she knew he'd be at risk of fighting any of those Espada she was informed of. She continued going in the direction she was heading.

" _Sora, just hang in there. I'll be there soon."_ Aqua mentally declared.

* * *

"Hey Xion. Did you hear that?" Roxas asked as he, Xion, and Lea were running across the desert. They heard Aizen's message along the way.

"Yeah, I did! Looks like we're closer to saving Sora!" Xion said in excitement

"Then we better get a move on." Lea said.

The two nodded as they picked up the pace.

* * *

At another part of Las Noches, Kalgara was seen leaning against the wall. She was breathing heavily and her forehead was sweating.

"Hey Kalgara!" Cried Sora's voice. "Kalgara, are you alright!?"

Kalgara smiled softly. "I'll be fine. It's natural I'd be like this. I'm only a simple spirit. To have exerted so much energy would leave me out of shape."

"I still can't believe that worked." Sora said.

"I said I was a part of you." Kalgara said. "So, I was able of take over your body for a short period of time."

"Do you think you could do that again?" Sora asked.

Kalagra shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid that was a one-time deal." She said regretfully.

Sora moaned. He was able to see how she stood her ground against Aizen. If she could do that than his battles could have been a whole lot easier. Regardless, Sora smiled, "It's okay. I'll just have to beat Aizen as is."

Kalgara nodded. Then she saw that her body was glowing. "It would seem our time is up."

"I guess that means we're saying goodbye for now." Sora said.

"Yes. But remember, I am a part of you." Kalgara reminded. "If you are ever in danger, I will be there to help you."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for everything, Kalgara." With that, Kalgara disappeared and Sora reappeared in her place. Sora looked around and saw that he was still normal. He sighed, grateful Kalgara helped him back there.

" _I almost became brainwashed by Aizen."_ Sora thought, recalling the time when he nearly a became vessel for Xehanort. Sora shook off his thoughts and looked determined. "There's no reason for me to be here anymore. The only thing I have to do is find Kairi and leave Hueco Mundo and head to Karakura Town." Then another question came to mind. "But, how am I going to find Kairi and get out of here."

Come to think of it, what was he planning to do after he escaped Aizen. Sora groaned, once again he didn't think this through. How was he gonna find his friend if he didn't know where to look. There had to be someone he could turn to. Sora's eyes widened as one person came to mind.

" _That's it. Maybe she can help."_ Sora thought about the person he had befriended about a day ago when he visited her in her room. The only human besides him.

Orihime Inoue.

* * *

(Flashback)

"You have powers?" Sora asked, curiously. "What can you do?"

Before she could answer, a voice came out of nowhere. "Allow us to answer that."

Sora was startled as he looked around the room, trying to find the source of that voice. But the only people in this room were him and Orihime. He looked back at Orihime.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

Orihime was about to reply when suddenly. "Of course, she heard that, silly." Another voice said. This one was feminine and sounded a bit playful.

"Who's there?" Sora asked, on guard.

"No need to be alarmed. We come in peace."

"Look right in front of yah!"

All these voices kept coming out of nowhere, causing Sora to turn around and look at Orihime. He could she her laughing nervously. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Suddenly, those turquoise-colored hairpins that Orihime wore began to glow. Sora's eyes widened when the hairpins turn into glowing lights that separated from each other and flew off Orihime's hair. They began floating around Sora until stopping in front of him. The lights dispersed and Sora found himself facing a group of fairies who were looking at him right at him.

"Hiya, Sora!" Said a fairy with bright pink hair, transparent yellow goggles, and a blue bathing suit. She had a tattoo on her backside. Her name was Lily. "Nice to meet you."

Amazed by the fairies, Sora looked at Orihime. "Whoa! You have fairies? That's awesome!" He asked her in excitement. Orihime had to giggle at Sora's childlike enthusiasm.

Another fairy laughed. She had blonde hair tied in a topknot. She wore a red, yellow-lined robe with long sleeves that extended past her hands. She also wore black tights. She was Shun'ō. "You can say that we're fairies. But we're also called _Shun Shun Rikka_. We are the manifestations of Orihime's powers."

"Hey, what do ya think you're doing!?" Asked a male fairy in black clothing and a scarf covering the lower half of his face. His name was Tsubaki. He began pulling her ponytail. "You can't just go telling this kid everything!"

"Tsubaki." Orihime said softly. "Please don't fight."

"Shut up, woman!" Tsubaki snapped at her. "It's thanks to you that we're stuck in this hell hole in the first place!" Orihime had a sadden and hurt expression when he said that. If anything, she would say that Tsubaki was right.

"Hey! Knock it off! What's your problem!?" Sora asked, obviously angry at Tsubaki's actions. The male fairy said nothing, merely glaring back at the Keyblade Wielder.

Shun'ō was able to get away and began soothing her ponytail. "Please forgive Tsubaki." She said flying between them. "He's always in a grumpy mood."

"Shut up!" Tsubaki snapped at her again.

"Don't be such a fuddy-duddy, Tsubaki." Said Lily. "This guy's a lot nicer than those Arrancar we've seen here." She then looked back at him. "And cuter to."

Sora lightly blushed in embarrassment while Tsubaki had an 'are you kinding me' look.

"Lily's right," Agreed a male fairy with an eye patch and wore mostly a purple jumpsuit. He was Hinagiku. "About his kindness that is. After all, he's the only one who's been nice to Orihime. I'm sure we can trust him."

A muscular fairy with a mask covering his bottom jaw and wore a green tunic nodded. His name was Baigon. "He is right. If not, then we would never have appeared before him."

"You guys really mean that?" Sora asked Orihime's fairies, looking humble.

"Don't let it get to your head." Tsubaki snorted.

"We do." A female fairy in a dress larger than her body told Sora, floating up to him. Her name is Ayame. "We sense a good aura coming from you."

Tsubaki snorted at this and choose to ignore them.

Sora took that as a compliment. "Why don't you guys tell me your names."

"I suppose your right." She told him. "I am Ayame."

"My name is Baigon."

"You can call me Hinagiku."

"And I'm Lily!" Lily cheered.

"I am Shin'ō." She said before turning to Tsubaki. "And you've already met Tsubaki."

"I can introduce myself! Thank you very much!" Tsubaki said in a grumpy tone.

Well he knew their names. Now, there was something Sora wanted to know. "By the way, you guys said you were the manifestations of Orihime's powers, right?" Sora asked. "What does that mean?"

"You see Sora," Shun'ō explained. "We each help Orihime with her powers." She and Ayame float together. "Me and Ayame have the power of healing." Ayame happily nodded in agreement.

"Lily, Hinagiku, and I have the power of defense." Baigon explained.

Lily nodded. "Yep. Our shields invincible."

"With the three of us, we can protect Orihime from anything." Hinagiku agreed.

Everyone turned to Tsubaki, seeing as it was his time to explain his abilities. Underneath his mask, he clenched his teeth and said. "My power is to attack people who try to harm her." He turned glared daggers at her. "However, my powers might as well be a joke since this idiot can't seem to grow a backbone!"

Orihime bit her bottom lip, "Tsubaki, I'm…"

"Enough already!" Tsubaki said abruptly. "I don't want to hear any excuses from you! You could've just run off and hid somewhere but instead you decided to play hero and come right here!"

Sora looked like he was about to lose it. "Hey! I don't know what's going on but you don't have a right to treat her that way."

"Watch it, kid!" Tsubaki snapped at Sora, not at all intimidated by him. "You wouldn't like me if you got me in a bad mood!"

"Orihime didn't do anything wrong and you're yelling at her!" Sora retorted. "You're just a big jerk!"

"That woman needs to toughen up and stop being so weak if you ask me." Tsubaki said firmly.

Sadness filled Orihime at Tsubaki's words. It was true. If she wasn't so weak, she could've been helpful to Ichigo and the others. Then she was aware that Sora had noticed her sad face. He said nothing at first, then he began walking over to her. Before she could say anything, Sora placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't listen to him, Orihime. You didn't do anything wrong. I don't really know what's going on but I know that you came here because you wanted to help people close to you" Sora then smiled. "Putting yourself in danger to protect the people you care for sounds okay to me." Sora then giving his signature smile. "So, don't go doubting yourself now."

"Sora…" Orihime was both touched and flattered with what he said. While he didn't know the true reason for why she came here, he was right when he said she did it to protect her friends. Seeing him smile made her smile for the first time since coming here.

Shun'ō smiled as will. "Wow, he's not too bad with words."

"Sora's super cool!" Lily eagerly agreed.

"He kind of reminds me of Ichigo" Baigon said.

"Strong spirit and determination, you could say they were related." Hinagiku nodded.

"And he's very kind too." Ayame nodded.

Orihime smiled. Seeing that the others were starting to like Sora. She looked over at the rebellious fairy, wondering what he had to say.

Underneath his scarf, Tsubaki grumbled a bit, then said. "He's…probably right about you. But that doesn't change anything." Tsubaki said, sternly. "If you really want to be helpful to your friends, then you gotta decide: Are you gonna stay back, and let them risk there lives out there? Or, are you gonna stand up, come outta hiding, and do something about it?"

Orihime look down in thought for a while. Over the past month, Orihime's heard people say that she shouldn't participate in the war, mostly due to her kind nature. As long as she keeps hesitating, then she'll find the strength to protect her friends. She wants to help them but will she ever find the strength she needs?

Then, Shun'ō flew in front of Sora. "Alright, Sora. Now, that we told you about us, why don't you tell us why a human like you is here in Hueco Mundo?"

Orihime snapped out of her thoughts as she turned to Sora. Honestly, she had wondered why he was here in the first place, but didn't think of it until now. Her fairies were also curious as well.

Sora sighed. He thought about not telling them, but since Orihime told him of her powers then he might as well tell them about his powers.

"Well." Sora started explaining "It's like this…"

* * *

(Flashback end)

Sora explained to Orihime and her fairies about how he woke up in Hueco Mundo with no memory of himself. However, Sora assured them that his memories were returning piece by piece. Orihime had ask if they could undo psychological damage but Shun'ō said it doesn't work that way. Sora explained that Aizen found him and decided to join him if he agreed to restore his memories. Sora was oblivious to the gasp Orihime let out. He went on to say that Aizen told him about how the Soul Society had become corrupt and that was why Aizen betrayed. Orihime was relieved to hear Sora was helping Aizen based on a lie. If he knew the truth then he would never have helped Aizen.

Sora then went on to explain about the Keyblade. Orihime and her fairies were left speechless when explained to them about the Keyblade and how there were other worlds beside their own. She had excitedly asked what kind of aliens Sora has met. She smiled when Sora shared some of the adventures he's been on since becoming a Keyblade Wielder. Orihime couldn't help but feel excited hearing about all the places he's been to; worlds based on Greek mythology, Aladdin from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and other fairy tales she read about as a kid; Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Peter Pan. But what really amazed her was learning of all the things Sora's done to save the worlds from these bad people, such as Maleficent, Ansem, Xemnas, and Organization XIII. To her, Sora was like those superheroes she read so much in manga. He even let her touch the Keyblade, much to her delight. Orihime's spirits had lifted dramatically from when she had first arrived here. Orihime had felt so cheerful to have made a friend in Hueco Mundo. Sora then left saying that he needed to return to medical room before his friends found out he left. Orihime had waved goodbye, hoping to meet him again. She also couldn't help but feel nervous. If Sora made friends here, what would they be like?

Sometime after Sora left, Ulquiorra had returned to bring a damper on her raised spirits. She had been bestowed name garments similar to the Arrancar and revealed her friends had come to rescue her. She was surprised, not able to believe that her friends had come all the way here to save her. But she didn't want to leave yet. Aizen had shown her the Hōgyoku, stating that her abilities were meant to reawaken it. She said she'd agree to do it but in reality, she planned to use her powers to erase the Hōgyoku from existence. However, her resolve started to crumble when she felt the spiritual energies of Chad and Rukia fall. She wanted to leave so badly and help her friends. She had felt some relief when she felt Sora's presence and started to hope that Sora was able to find out Aizen's real plans. If he did then he would make a good ally for them. She even wondered what would happen if Sora and Ichigo met each other? Would they fight each other? Or would they work together?

However, things became worse when Orihime sensed Ichigo's spiritual energy disappear, but before she could react, the two Arrancar that were with Aizen, Loly and Menoly, broke into her room. Loly had attacked her, believing she wasn't worthy of Aizen's attention and berated her weakness as a Human. Despite the pain she felt, Orihime choose not to react, which served to anger the Arrancar even more, threatening to kill her as a result, despite Menoly's fruitless attempts to quiet her down. Suddenly, Grimmjow, the Espada she healed, burst into the room, ending the assault. Grimmjow proceeded to dispatch the two Arrancar with little effort, much to Orihime's horror, with Menoly having the top half of her body blown away by his Cero. He told her that this was repayment for her healing his arm. He grabbed her by the scruff then, demanding her attention on an errand.

Grimmjow had given her a chance to heal herself, but Orihime decided to heal a reluctant Loly. Now, she was busy resurrecting Menoly by rematerializing her body physically. It took a few minutes, but the process was complete.

Grimmjow had been standing back the entire time. "Are yah done?" He asked impatiently. Orihime nodded. "Then let's go, before Ulquiorra…"

Before he could continue, footsteps were heard in the room, showing someone was here. The two were afraid Ulquiorra had returned. But when they turned, they were surprised to see who it really was.

"You're here…" Orihime breathed.

Grimmjow looked annoyed. "What the hell do you-"

" _STOPZA!"_

Everyone in the room suddenly froze in place. The person who cast that spell was none other than Sora.

Sora lowered his Keyblade. "I don't know why Grimmjow or those two were here but I better get Orihime to safety. That won't hold them for long."

Sora then picked up the frozen Orihime and dashed out of the room.

* * *

Back in the Forest of Menos, Donald had healed most of Ashido's injuries with his healing magic. Though still exhausted, the Disney Trio had taken Ashido back to his hideout. Feeling famished, the four were now eating some of the sandwiches Mickey packed along for the trip. As they ate, Goofy decided to ask, "So, Ashido, are you really one of them Soul Reaper fellers?" He asked curiously.

"That's right." The Soul Reaper replied.

"So, tell us Ashido, how did you end up all injured?" Mickey asked.

After swallowing, Ashido explained. "Well, I was helping a group of travelers escape from this forest. They had come to Hueco Mundo in order to rescue their friend that was kidnapped. I had offered my assistance but by the time we found the exit, the Menos Grande were swarming the place."

"What happened?" Donald asked.

"I stayed to fight them off while they made their escape." Ashido said. "There were too many of them but I managed to kill them all. Though I was left in bad shape afterwards. That is until you guys showed up."

The king smiled. "We're happy to help. But if you don't mind me asking, why is it you are here? Shouldn't you be in the Soul Society?"

Ashido sighed. "I…let's just say, I'm here to honor dear friends of mine. I've been in Hueco Mundo for many years that's I've lost count."

"You've been here all on your own?" Donald asked, feeling sorry for him.

Ashido nodded, until another thought came to mind. "Well actually, aside from that group, there was someone else I met. He was a human kid like you." He looked at Kairi. "His name is Sora."

The Disney Trio gasped in surprise.

Ashido couldn't help but smile as he went on. "Meeting that kid…gave me hope. I can't describe it but there was something about him that reminded me of myself. About how you should always fight for the people that matter. If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have bothered helping those other people."

Mickey snapped out of his thoughts and asked. "Wait a minute, you know Sora!?"

Ashido looked back at the mouse. "That's right. Why, do you?"

And so, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Ashido took turns explaining everything. Ashido revealed that he met Sora a month ago. He had wandered into the Forest of Menos saying he had lost all of his memories and was searching for them. Ashido offered to lead him to the exit but were attacked by the guardian of this forest. Sora tried to help but Ashido encouraged him to leave the forest, vowing they would meet again. Afterwards, Sora left and Ashido managed to escape before the Guardian's reinforcements arrived.

The Disney Trio took in all this information. They were happy to hear that Sora was alright and hearing Ashido say Sora lost his memories certainly explained why he joined up with someone like Aizen. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy then took turns explaining who they were. They revealed that Sora was a friend of theirs that disappeared about a months ago. They, along with six others, stormed Hueco Mundo to try and find him but ended up separating.

"I see." Ashido said understandingly. "So, your trying to find Sora too?"

"That's right." Donald replied. "If you can take us to Sora, then we'll take it from here."

"But still, Donald. Don't you think we might get lost in a place like this?" Goofy asked.

"Goofy's right." Mickey agreed. "We've never been to this world before and we don't even know how far we've separated from everybody else. It could take days to get outta here."

Donald tried to think of a good counterargument, but realized the king was right. Seeing their predicament, Ashido stepped forward and said. "Then, allow me to come with you."

The Disney Trio were surprised by his request.

"You want to help us?" Donald asked.

Ashido nodded. "I may never have been to Las Noches but, I'll help in any way I can."

Mickey nodded gracefully, "Great. Your welcome to come along. Now, all we need to do is find a way out of here."

"I think I could help with that." Ashido said, causing the Keyblade duo to look at him.

* * *

For about ten minutes, Sora had carried Orihime out of her room. He had been running down the halls of Las Noches without having to be intercepted by any Arrancar. Sora had been memorizing the entire for a month now and could tell he was nearing the exit to the inside of the dome. Before he could continue, he noticed Orihime's body starting to stir.

" _Is the stop magic wearing off already?"_ Sora thought as he put her down.

Orihime's body glowed until it died down. Then Orihime began to blink as she looked around until she noticed Sora.

Sora waved causally. "Nice to see you Orihime."

Orihime looked completely shocked as she looked at the Keyblade Wielder. "Sora…is that you?"

Sora nodded. Orihime suddenly remembered what had transpired in her room a moment ago. "What's going on? Why did you do that?"

Sora sighed. "I'm sorry if that was sudden but I needed to talk to you. I noticed your door was blown up so I thought you were under attack."

While grateful that he came to her defense, Orihime was also surprised. "You need me. What's wrong?"

"Listen, Orihime." Sora said in a serious tone. "I know everything. I know Aizen is trying to create this spirit key or something. And that he plans to destroy Karakura Town to make."

Orihime recalled hearing an announcement from Aizen stating that Sora was no longer their ally. While happy he figured out Aizen's plans, she was worried when she heard Aizen ordered all Arrancars to kill him. She recalled Loly laughing in glee over this, stating that after she was done with her, Sora was next on her hit list.

"And one more thing." Orihime snapped out of her thoughts as Sora went on. "Aizen…didn't ask you to come here of your free will, right?"

Orihime stared down on her feet, reluctant to answer. "Orihime, did Aizen force you to come here?" Sora said, a bit forcefully.

Orihime folded her hands together as she looked as if she was about to cry. Finally, she said, "I…I was forced to come here. One of Aizen's Espada, Ulquiorra, came to me and threatened me to come to Hueco Mundo. He said if I didn't, he would kill all the people I cared for." Tears slowly started forming in Orihime's eyes.

Hearing that, Sora narrowed his eyes and formed his hand to a fist, which began shaking with anger. He didn't know Ulquiorra that well but hearing how far he would go to force a person to comply infuriated him to no end.

"Then, Ulquorra told me that five of my friends came here to rescue me." Orihime explained, snapping Sora out of his thought.

Sora then placed a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "Orihime, why didn't you tell me?"

Orihime looked down in shame. "When I was brought to Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra told me that there was a special 'guest' in Las Noches and that if I ever met him then I wasn't supposed to tell him that I was forced to come here and say that I came here of my own free will."

Sora could see that it was plainly obvious to her that he was this guest that Ulquiorra talked about. Orihime went on. "I didn't want to lie to you, I really didn't. But I was afraid that if I told you the truth, then Ulquiorra was going to do something to terrible to you."

"So, that's why you told me that you came here to help Aizen end the war between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo." Sora said, understanding why she did what she did. Sora then glanced at Orihime's gloom state and said.

"Tsubaki was right." Orihime told him. "In the end, I can't do anything right."

"Enough!" Orihime was startled when Sora interrupted her. "I don't want to hear anything about you doubting yourself, Orihime."

"What?" Orihime looked confused.

"It takes a brave person to face their own fears even though their afraid." Sora said before getting serious. "Now that I know everything, I decided that I'm going to help you break out of here."

"Huh!" Orihime shouted in surprise. She shook her head. "You can't do that, Sora!" She protested. "If you do, you'll get in more trouble with Aizen."

"I'm already in trouble with Aizen." Sora retorted. "Besides, I'm not going to abandon you after with Grimmjow did to you. Look at you face?"

Orihime realized that her face was still bruised up, though that had been from Loly. "So, I'm getting you out of here and back to your friends."

Surprised, Orihime tried to protest one more time. "But why? Why would you do this for me?" She felt that she'd be a burden on his shoulder.

"Because." Sora then gave his same smile. "You're my friend!"

That one sentence left Orihime completely stunned. Did she hear that right? "That's why I just can't leave you behind. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there. To help!" Sora then looked at Orihime. "And you're one of them."

Sora then held out his hand in front of Orihime. "So, let's get going. I think your friends have waited for you long enough. I promise to do whatever it takes to bring you back to them."

Slowly but surely, Orihime began to smile as her face was filled with tears. This time with happy ones as her sadness was replace with relief and hope. Giving a sweet and warm smile, she took Sora's hand.

"Thank you." She said softly. The two looked at each other with proud, determined expressions as a voice called out.

"I'm afraid you two won't be going anywhere."

Sora and Orihime felt an enormous spiritual pressure as Sora turned to see Starrk, standing before them.

"Starrk!" Sora cried out.

Orihime's eyes widened in shock and fear. Whoever this person was, his spiritual pressure was even higher than Ulquiorra's.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked, his guard up.

Starrk sighed. "You know your being labelled a traitor, right? Over half the Arrancars are searching Las Noches for you."

Sora narrowed his eyes as he asked,."Tell me, did you know about Aizen's plan?"

Starrk said nothing at the moment, but then. "Yeah."

"For how long?" Sora asked. "How long have you known about this?"

Starrk remained silent as he slightly looked down as if he didn't want to answer. Sora gritted his teeth at his silences. "Answer me!"

"From the beginning." Starrk said. "Everyone in Las Noches knew of Lord Aizen's plan. He gave us strict orders to keep you in the dark."

Sora's eyes widened in shock as he heard all this. "So then, everything we've been through. When you said you'd be my friend…WAS ALL THAT A LIE!"

Orihime quietly stepped back as Sora and Starrk began their exchange. Starrk gritted his teeth as he retorted. "You're wrong! You were always my…best friend!"

"Best friends are supposed to be honest with each other!" Sora spat back. "Why did you let this happen!?"

Starrk looked away. "I…don't know."

"That's not ans-"

"Finding out the truth doesn't always work out for the best!" Starrk shot back.

"What makes you so sure about that!? I have a right to know the truth!" Sora snapped in frustration. "Aizen plans to wipe out a whole town and you kept that from me! This whole time I've heard nothing but lies and secrets and I hate it!"

Sora panted a bit. Orihime looked at Sora in pity. Starrk glanced down in shame. "Sora…"

"Starrk." Sora looked him. "I decided that I'm taking Orihime and leaving Hueco Mundo."

Starrk's face remained neutral, then he said. "To be honest…I always thought that was the best thing for you to do." Starrk reluctantly admitted. "But, I can't let you take the girl with you."

They could tell Starrk was serious. "Please don't do this." Sora said pleadingly.

"I don't have a choice in the matter." Starrk said. "I told you before that Lilynette and I owe Lord Aizen a debt."

"For what?" Sora asked him. What was it that Aizen did for them.

Starrk was silenced for a while, until he sighed heavily. "You once said you'd wait to hear my story when the time was right. Will now it is."

Starrk explained. "The truth is Lilynette and I are actually one."

"One?" Sora said confused.

"That's right. When we became Arrancar, we divided the power that other Arrancar divided between their body and swords into two bodies." Starrk went on. "Back when we were one, all the hollows that we stayed with all died because we were too strong."

Sora's eyes widened in shock. Together, Starrk and Lilynette were powerful enough that anyone would die just by being in their presence. It explained why he was number one of the Espada.

"Because everyone would die from being near us, we were lonely. And through that loneliness, we divided our soul, hoping to escape from it." Starrk then looked up. "I always envied the weak. If you were weak, you can always find others to be around. I wanted to be weak. And if I couldn't, I could at least find people as strong as me to be around."

Sora looked devastated. Now he knows what Lilynette meant when she said they had been on their own for a long time. Orihime, though she didn't know who he or this Lilynette were, she couldn't help but feel empathy for him.

"One day, Lord Aizen found us amongst the remains of our latest victims." Starrk said. "Impressed by our power, he invited us to Las Noches and join him. Meeting him, I could tell he was strong. He was the first person to talk to us without dying so I figured why not. Because Lord Aizen saved us from our loneliness, I owe him a debt. I don't care about what his plans are or his motives, it's because of him that Lilynette and I aren't alone anymore."

Sora's eyes hardened. Aizen had taken advantage of their loneliness and made them go through with this. He could see that Starrk really meant it when he said he owed him.

"But then." Starrk went on, "You came along and everything started changing. For the first time ever, Lilynette was happier than I've ever seen her. And to be honest, I guess I was to."

Sora and Orihime remained silent as Starrk stared at them for a few minutes. Sora wondered what was Starrk going to do. Was he going to stop them? After a few more minutes, Starrk said. "If you come back now, Lord Aizen might go easy on you."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going back. I'm not going to help Aizen kill all those people to create that key."

"It had to be you with the morals." Starrk responded. Then, surprisingly he stepped out of the way. "Go."

The two blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Don't make me repeat myself." Starrk said. "I'll let you go this one time. Take the girl and leave Hueco Mundo now, before Lord Aizen gets involved."

Sora and Orihime looked at each other, feeling uncertain. Slowly, they both walked past Starrk. As they did Sora looked at him, then said. "Starrk, please just-"

"Don't think of asking me for help." Starrk said without even looking. Sora sighed before taking Orihime with him, who followed in silence.

Starrk stood there by himself for a moment before saying. "You can come out, Lilynette."

From around the corner, Lilynette was seen walking out of it. Stark saw that she was absolutely infuriated. "Why!" She gritted her teeth. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM!"

Starrk sighed. "Sora's made it clear that he's determined to stop Lord Aizen. You know how he is when he's like that."

Lilynette shook her head. "No. I won't believe it! I'll go talk to Sora and…"

"Forget it!" Starrk said forcefully.

Lilynette looked at him, pleadingly "…but, Stark. We can't just let him go. What are you going to do?"

A few moments passed as Stark remained silent. He knew that this wouldn't sit well with his Lilynette. It was the same with Halibel and her Fracciónes. They had started to like Sora. Who knows what they were feeling. "I let him go that one time. However, if he chooses to fight with the Soul Reapers in Karakura Town, then we'll have no choice but to stop him. Even if it means by force."

Lilynette's eyes widened in horror. "Stop…Sora? Starrk…you don't mean that…?"

"If it comes to it, we may have to kill him." Starrk concluded.

Lilynette's eyes widened and her worried expression formed into an angry frown, "Kill him? Kill Sora? No! I won't do it! Sora's just confused right now. He would never…"

"Lilynette!" Lilynette stopped her outburst as Stark gave her a steely gaze, "S-Starrk?"

"I'm the First Espada of Lord Aizen's army. I have a job to do, remember? Right now, Sora's ruining our plans. If he succeeds, then things are going to get worse. I don't want to do this, don't think that for a second. However, if he sides with the Soul Reapers, then he'll be seen as an enemy and…" He didn't finish his sentence, and did his best to ignore the scared expression Lilynette was giving him.

Starrk sighed as he walked past the little Arrancar. "C'mon, let's head back." Lilynette said nothing as she followed him.

The atmosphere now heavy with tension and uncertainty. Starrk looked down to his younger companion.

"So, Sora…betrayed us." She said monotonously.

Starrk said nothing, she had already known the answer. She had hoped against all hope that she was wrong and that Sora had a different reason for his actions. But now…

Lilynette said nothing, as she bit her lip and looked down in silent anger.

Starrk let out a heavy sigh. " _Damn it. Sora, you've become too important to both of us. Why...Why this have to happen?"_ Starrk thought.

* * *

Back with Kairi, she was panting heavily from exhaustion. For the past thirty minutes, she had been trying to free herself from her handcuffs, but it had been futile. The cuffs still remained, despite some signs of wear, and all that energy usage wasn't doing any good for her stamina.

Kairi panted for a second before taking a deep breath. "Come on, one more time."

Exhaling, Kairi yelled as the pure light from within her emanate intensely. The entire room was filled with bright light and slightly trembled, the bars even rattling from the force of the pressure. The cuffs began to crack more and more with each second.

"Just...a little...longer." Kairi struggled as the cuff soon become worn down. However, the force of Kairi's light soon began to die down, much to her dismay.

"No. Just...more." The red-haired girl soon felt that she was about to faint. This couldn't be it? Was that the extent of her power? Could she not have enough to save her dear friend?

 _"Don't give up."_

Kairi's eyes snapped wide as she heard the voice. It wasn't Naminé so whoever it belonged to was someone unknown.

" _C'mon princess. I thought you had more light than that. If you wanna save your boyfriend, you gotta dig deep. Otherwise you'll just be playing damsel-in-distress your whole life._ "

Blushing at the voice calling Sora her boyfriend, Kairi shook her head and focused on the voice's words. Even though she didn't know who it was, she agreed with what it said. She couldn't give up now, not with everything at stake here, such as Sora's safety. Picking herself up, Kairi's eyes narrowed with determination.

"I don't who that was, but it was right. I came this far, now it's my turn to see it to the end." With a great yell, Kairi's light grew stronger again and it's pressure caused the whole room to tremble once with greater force. The cuffs began wobbling back and forth with the cracks growing more deeper and deeper, until...

"CLANK!"

The cuffs broke into many pieces, all of it scattered across the floor.

With a heavy sigh of relief, Kairi collapsed to the floor, completely spent of energy. Kairi then lifted her hands, proudly smiling at seeing her wrist for the first time in weeks.

"I...did it." Kairi spoke softly as she rubbed her wrist gently. After laying down for a few seconds, Kairi sat up and, for the first time in weeks, summoned her Keyblade.

It was round and curvaceous where one side of the hilt is formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave, while the other is formed into a beige vine of sand that wraps around the shaft, which is colored to resemble a sunset. The vine connects to a bouquet of colorful flowers, which form the teeth of the Keyblade and entwine to outline a heart. A red silken keychain connects the hilt to a star shaped fruit token. This was Kairi's Keyblade " _Destiny's Embrace_ ".

" _Curaga!_ " The red-haired girl said as a glowing green light bathed her body, restoring her strength and stamina.

"There's no time to rest. Now, it's my turn to see where they are hiding Sora." Kairi declared as she got up, pointing her Keyblade at the jail lock. However, before she could open it, something caught her by surprise.

Out of nowhere, a corridor of darkness appeared right in front of her.

"Who...?"

" _Get in._ "

"But, who's-"

" _Don't ask. Just get in. You won't be able to get there on foot._ "

Having enough, Kairi asked. "Tell me who you are! Right now!"

" _As if!_ _Just call me...a friend._ "

That certainly didn't help Kairi one bit. However, considering everything that was happening, with the ominous feeling she's been having about Sora and his safety, Kairi had to take the chance.

" _Are you sure you want to do this?_ " Kairi recognized that voice belonged to Naminé, who shared her concerned about the dark corridor.

"I know it's risky but it's a chance that I have to take." Kairi declared. "For a whole month I've been trapped here feeling helpless while Sora's been used as a pawn for Aizen. Now that I have been freed, I have do find Sora before anything else happens."

Kairi then smiled, a memory coming to mind. "Besides, I've become a part of Sora's life now, and I promise I would keep him safe."

Naminé heard what she said and smiled at her strong spirit. Though she was still concerned, she decided to trust Kairi's judgment. "Then you should hurry. Before Aizen gets involved."

Not wanting to wait for Aizen, Kairi hurried and dashed straight towards the corridor of darkness, her heart set and ready to save Sora. Once she entered, the dark corridor finally disappeared.

Meanwhile, a figured stepped out of the shadows as he looked into Kairi's cell where the dark corridor once stood. The figure wore a black cloak with close-fitting sleeves, black pants, boots, and gloves.

While his facial expression was unknown, a chuckle escaped his mouth.

"Gotta say, the little princess sure has the right stuff."

* * *

Sora and Orihime reached the inner dome of Las Noches. The trip had mostly been quiet as neither said a word since their encounter with the First Espada. Orihime was worried about how her new friend was feeling. She decided to say some comforting words.

"Sora…was that the Espada…your friend?" Orihime asked.

Sora didn't say anything at first. Then, he said. "Yeah…he was. Look...it's really complicated."

He really didn't want to think about that right now. He had learned that by defecting it would mean fighting the people he made friends with. He decided that if it came to it, he would do it but now after seeing Starrk, he realized just how hurt he was when he choose to go against them. He could only wonder how, Lilynette and the others were reacting to this.

Nevertheless, Sora shook his head and focused on where he was going. Speaking of friend, another thought came to mind.

"Hey Orihime, when you came here, did you meet a person named Kairi." Sora asked.

The orange-haired girl looked confused at the name. "Kairi? I don't remember meeting a person by that name." She looked at Sora. "Why do you ask?"

Sora glanced down a bit. "Because...Aizen kidnapped her too."

Orihime gasped in shock. "I learned that he captured her about a month ago and he used her to lure me hear." Sora explained. "I'm trying to find her but I don't know where to look." Sora lowered his head down in shame.

The girl couldn't help but feel sad for Sora's friend, who had been hear longer than she was.

"But I won't give up." Sora said abruptly, causing her to jump back. "I made a promise to find Kairi and that we'll go back home together. It may have taken long, but I'm gonna keep that promise."

Hearing his determination brought a smile to Orihime. His resolve was even more like Ichigo's. "I'm sure you'll find her Sora. As long as you don't give up."

"Great. Then let's..." However, he then noticed something to the distance.

"What's that?" He asked.

Orihime looked to his direction and felt a faint presence in that area. "I can sense something over there. I think someone's in trouble."

If that was true, then Sora knew what he had to do. "Then we better go there."

Sora picked up the pace while Orihime struggled to keep up. After a few minutes, they arrived to see a child sticking out of the sand. She had green hair, robes, and a cracked skull on her head. Sora's eyes widened when he realized who she was.

"Nel!" He cried.

"You know her, Sora?" Orihime asked.

"I do." Sora nodded. "I met her a while back." Sora had to know why she was in Las Noches. He slowly began shaking her. "Nel. Nel! Wake up! Are you alright?"

Slowly, Nel started to stir as her eyes slowly began opening. Her vision was blurry but then it cleared and she was surprised to see two people. One of them she didn't know, but the other was someone she instantly recognized.

"Zola?"

The Keyblade Wielder sighed in relief. "Your awake. Nel, what's going on? Why are you…"

"ZOLA!" Nel shouted as she jumped toward Sora, hugging him and sending him to the ground. Orihime stared wide-eyed while Sora sat up and grabbed Nel.

"Nel, you can't just tackle people to the ground like that." He lightly scolded.

"Nel sorry." She sniffed. "Nel thought she'd never see you again."

Sora smiled as he hoisted Nel over his shoulders. "I'm here now Nel. Don't worry."

Nel smiled as she noticed Orihime. "By the way Zola, who's she?"

The spiky-haired boy realized that this was their first meeting. He decided to give introductions. "Oh, yeah. I guess I should introduce you two. Nel, this is Orihime. I'm helping her escape."

Orihime smiled and waved. "It's nice to meet you."

Nel looked back and forward between the two then narrowed her eyes and glared at Orihime. "Do you mind telling me what your relationship is with Zola?"

Orihime blinked in confusion. "Ummm, what do you mean?"

Ignoring the question, Sora asked. "Nel, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here? Where are Pesche and Dondochakka?"

Nel looked sad for a moment before explaining. A few hours ago, Nel was playing Eternal tag with Pesche, Dondochakka, and Bawabawa. Suddenly, three people named Ichigo, Uryū, and Chad came across Nel and thought she was a young Human being chased by three Hollows. Afterwards, Ichigo and his friends attack the three and she yelled at them to stop being mean to them. Sora couldn't help but feel a sense of Déjà Vu while Orihime was more surprised to hear Nel knew her friends, revealing they were the ones that came to rescue her.

Nel continued. The three apologized to Ichigo and his friends because they didn't think their game of Eternal Tag would cause a misunderstanding and introduced themselves. While the three were initially freaked out when they discovered their real identities, they were interrupted when Runuganga appeared and confronted the group. He nearly drowned all of them in a sand pit had it not been for the arrival of two other Soul Reapers named Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai. While they were more afraid, they calmed down when Ichigo assured them that they weren't going to hurt them. With that, everyone decided to ride on Bawabawa to get to Las Noches faster.

After a series of events, they managed to break into Las Noches but were forced to split into five directions, leaving Nel and her brothers behind. The siblings decide to follow Ichigo, but got lost with Nel being the only one who caught up to Ichigo. They were confronted by Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, a Privaron Espada with a number of 103. Sora recalled Gantenbainne saying there were two other Privaron Espada besides him. Could that have meant he was fighting the intruders? Dordoni proved to be more powerful then he appeared and goaded Ichigo into using his Bankai. Dordoni even went as far as to attack Nel. Fortunately, Ichigo used his full power and defeated Dordoni with ease. They decided to heal Dordoni's wounds and he explained to them why he faced them and then went to attack them again even though he had already lost. A futile attempt as Ichigo swiftly took him down and left with Nel.

However, Nel's expression became filled with grief. "Then, we ran into Master Ulquiorra. I-Ichigo tried to fight but was powerless! He covered Nel and was hit by a Cero!" Tears began forming in her eyes. "Ichigo covered for Nel and was even hit with a direct kick! It caused him to drop Nel right here! Nel…w-was only holding Ichigo back! If Nel wasn't here, Ichigo would be fine!" She then looked at both Sora and Orihime, tears now freefalling. "EVERYTHING IS NEL FAULT! PLEASE, SAVE ICHIGO!"

The two remained silent. They could tell that Nel really cared for Ichigo. Orihime could understand what she was feeling. After all, she had felt the same way. And this only added to here concern for Ichigo's well-being.

Never to keep still for long, Sora placed his hand on Nel's head. She stopped crying and looked at Sora's determined face.

"That's why we came here for." Sora declared. "I'm taking Orihime to where Ichigo is so she can heal. After she's done with that, I'll go give Ulquiorra a piece of my mind." Sora then smiled. "So, don't worry about it."

Nel and Orihime stared at Sora in awe for a moment, then they smiled graciously. It's like making people feeling better was like second nature to him.

Sora then got up, "We better get going. Nel do you remember where Ichigo was?"

Nel pondered for a moment before she said. "Nel members. Ichigo was right there." The two followed the direction where Nel pointed. The area was filled with several red pillars.

Orihime concentrated on the area before her widened. "It's Ichigo. I feel his spirit energy. It's dropping fast."

Upon hearing that, Sora knew that this Ichigo character was in danger.

"Then we better go." With that, Sora picked up Nel and dashed towards the direction with Orihime following, hoping to reach Ichigo soon enough.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Terra and Ven, they raced down the desert as they began to near the location.

"How much further to till we get there?" Terra asked.

"I say a few minutes by the looks of things." Ven replied, before a question came to mind. "Hey, do you know how are we going to find everyone else? It's not like everyone's going to show up here."

Terra said noting for a moment. Truth be told, he didn't know how they were going to find the others either. They all could have been scattered to different areas of this desert and were probably trying to find them as well.

Regardless, he knew worrying about their situation wasn't going to help well. "Let's just get to that area. Once we've caught our breath, we'll figure out what to do from there."

Ven nodded. The two continued running, when-

 _"CRASH!"_

The two Keyblade Wielders skidded across the sand when something pop out so suddenly. Regaining their footing, the two looked up and saw ten of those Hollows they've encountered before. However, Terra could feel that they were more powerful then they looked.

Unknown to them, they were Adjuchas, the second level for Menos Grande.

 **"Look at this. More fresh meat!"**

 **"Hueco Mundo sure has been crawling with them lately!"**

 **"Let me have them. I want first dibs!"**

Ven and Terra narrowed their eyes at their new adversaries.

"These Hollows look tougher than before." Ven stated, also sensing their power.

"Must be another group of them." Terra said. "We don't have much time. We better handle this fast."

Ven nodded as he and Terra summoned their Keyblades. Ven's Keyblade had a dull gold guard that joins the shaft of the Keyblade to fully enclose the handle. The shaft was thin with a slight curve outward and was grey with three thing, dull gold lines in the middle. Two short bars connect the main blade to the teeth, which was grey and has a wing-like shape. They are comprised by five curved bars that decrease in size that lower they are on the Keyblade. The Keychain token is a green gem with two silver flurries of wind spiraling around it. This Keyblade was called " _Wayward Wind_ ".

Terra's Keyblade has a long blade with three pick-like teeth on both sides at the tip of the blade. The Keyblade's shaft has a textured, dark brown color, with brass edges. The hand guard formed a wing-like shape that was off-blue colored. The pommel is a dark blue cone. The Keychain token is a reddish rock fragment with brass armor-like plating. This is the " _Ends of Earth_ " Keyblade.

The two assumed their fighting stance and charged toward their opponents.

* * *

After a few minutes of running, Sora, Orihime, and Nel finally reached their destination. It looked like a large fortress, but what surprised them was the large hole in their way.

"What could've made this?" Sora wondered.

"Nel knows. It was Master Ulquiorra! He did this!" Nel exclaimed. Orihime folded her hands in prayer as Sora noticed her expression. He could tell that she was worried about her friend. Orihime softly gasped as she turned to see Sora had placed a hand on her should. He said nothing but for some reason, Orihime could feel that he was saying, 'Don't worry. I'm sure he's alright.'

Orihime smiled softly at Sora's consideration, which he returned. The three began making their way in, watching their footing from the slippery rubble. As they made their way down, they stopped when they spotted someone laying flat on the ground.

The person was none other than Ichigo Kurosaki. Orihime and Nel gasped in horror at the state of his condition. He looked as if he had been through a war. His body was covered in bruises and burn marks from head to toe. And his black robes were completely tattered, the left side having been completely torn off. Next to him was a blade as large as his body. It was an oversized Khyber knife that had no tsuba and no proper hilt; there was also a cloth-wrapped tang around the bottom. The sword also has a black blade with a silver edge.

Getting a closer look, Sora flipped him over to get a better look. His eyes widened horrifically when he spotted a fist-sized hole in his chest, causing the girls to look in horror at Ichigo's current state.

"No!?" Sora asked, hurriedly.

"Ichigo! Oh, Ichigo!" Nel cried with tears starting to form. The same was said for Orihime, as she remained petrified seeing her dear friend in such a state.

Sora felt his pulse, sighing with relief. "He's alive. But not for much longer. We may have a few minutes." He wasn't sure if his healing magic was going to work since it was mainly used for curing minor wounds and replenishing stamina. Injuries of this magnitude would require too much time and energy, which he didn't have.

Sora gritted his teeth. He couldn't let this guy die. There has to be something he could do. However, his thoughts were answered when Orihime stepped up.

"I'll heal him." She said.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. He remembered those fairies said she had healing powers but were they that powerful?

The orange-haired girl nodded. "Don't worry. I'll do my best."

"Yes, please! Please save Ichigo!" Nel pleaded.

"Yeah, please do. That way I can finally settle the score with him."

The three gasped and turned to see Grimmjow, standing by the hole with a menacing smirk on his face.

Sora narrowed his eyes. He had hoped Grimmjow would've lost sight of them but it looks like it was wishful thinking. Sora assumed his fighting stance, in case a fight was about to break.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Like my previous one,**_ _ **I considered making Starrk and Halibel betray Aizen but I realized there wouldn't be enough action left in the Fake Karakura Town battles. However, both he and Halibel feel obliged to help Aizen but are conflicted by their feelings for Sora. I decided to instead have Sora fight Starrk during the war, were he tries to reach out to him. I also have something planned for Halibel.**_

 _ **Now, the biggest change in this story is that Sora and Nel will both be present during Ichigo's battle with Grimmjow. Since they are both the stars, it's better for them to be better acquainted with each other. This means that I will be deleting my midquel story, since it has no room in my revision.**_

 _ **As for Kairi, she was finally able to escape her cell and use her Keyblade once more. However, I'm sure you all want to know who was the person who spoke to her and appeared when she left. Well, I'm sure you all know who he is and if you do know then please, keep it to yourself. Don't post it on the review board.**_

 _ **Next Time: Sora meets Ichigo while Grimmjow has a confrontation with Ulquiorra. All healed, Ichigo readies for his final showdown with the Sixth Espada. Meanwhile, Kairi escapes and encounters two familiar people.**_


	14. Ichigo vs Grimmjow!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: The Fourteenth chapter. I'm getting to the exciting middle part of this story. Even though Sora will be in this chapter with Nel, this will focus more about the star of Bleach. Please enjoy and I have another thing to say at the end. I don't own anything.**_

 _ **Cue 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Intro: Towa no Kizuna**_

 _ **(0:00-0:15):**_ _We see the entrance of Las Noches, where the camera zooms out and scrolls up the fortress. The title "Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War" appears. The entire image of Las Noches is shown completely._

 _ **(0:16-0:26):**_ _Inside Las Noches, Sora is seen staring off in the distance. Clutching his crown pendant, he turns around and sees the images of Riku and Kairi walking down. The Destiny Trio are seen uniting their hands together. Meanwhile, Ichigo is standing off on the other side, where he turns to see Orihime smiling at him._

 _ **(0:27-0:34):** Various images are shown. Sora is seen hanging out on the Destiny Islands with Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua, Ven, Roxas, Xion, Lea, __Naminé_ _, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Orihime is seen eating at the park with Ichigo, Rukia, Uryū, Renji, and Chad. Orihime's expression however becomes melancholic. The images then become distorted by the silhouette of Aizen, who raises Kyōka Suigetsu._

 _ **(0:35-0:48):**_ _The entire Hueco Mundo team (Sora and Ichigo's friends, and the Soul Reapers) is seen standing together. Ulquiorra walks down the corridor with a large shadow of darkness following him. Ichigo, looking determined, summons his Hollow mask. Orihime is seen looking at the sky, letting out a cry of anguish. Sora is seen on his knees with his head down, slamming his fist on the ground._

 _ **(0:49-0:56):**_ _Several shots are shown. Tōsen rapidly takes out his sword before sheathing it. Gin, smiling, swings his sword, causing a bright light to extend. Aizen, smirking, simply holds his hand open, revealing the Hōgyoku. Kenpachi, Byakuya, Unohana, and Mayuri stand ready for battle. Orhime and Kairi appear back to back, where Orihime's pupil shows the reflection of Ulquiorra._

 _ **(0:57-1:09):**_ _Grimmjow fires a Cero which Ichigo narrowly dodges. Zommari levitates his Zanpakutō in front of him as Riku, Byakuya, and Rukia stand firm. Aqua, Uryū, and Renji stand side by side as Szayelaporro walks towards them, smiling in glee. Nnoitra walks through a path of destruction as Terra and an adult Nel grit their teeth. Yammy smirks as his figure darkens and grows in massive size. Sora's group stand on one side while Ichigo's groups stand on the other side. All of them together, ready to battle._

 _ **(1:10-1:21):**_ _Sora and Ichigo are seen walking towards each other while staring off. They stop momentarily before the two give a smirk and cross their weapons together._

 _ **(1:22-1:30):**_ _Final shot shows the Hueco Mundo team standing in front of Las Noches. Rukia, Orihime, Uryū, Chad, Renji and Nel in the front. Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Ven, Roxas, Xion, Lea,_ _Naminé_ _, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in the middle. Kenpachi, Yachiru, Byakuya, Hanatarō, Unohana, Isane, Mayuri, and Nemu in the back. Sora and Ichigo appear to lead the group._

 _ **Ep. 14: "Ichigo vs Grimmjow! Survival of the Fittest!"**_

Sora stared off against Grimmjow while Nel and Orihime stood behind the person next to them. Sora, keeping his guard up, decided to ask something. "Tell me Grimmjow, what are you doing?"

Grimmjow simply let out a small smirk. "Well I was on my here to kill you. But as luck would turn out, you brought the girl here just like I wanted." This confused Sora. Grimmjow wanted to bring Orihime here? He knew it wasn't because he wanted to reunite them so what purpose did he have?

"Enough talk." Grimmjow said as he let Orihime go. "Alright woman, you just do your job and heal him."

Orihime looked a little hesitant. But after seeing Ichigo's condition, she summoned Ayame and Shun'ō, Orihime created a half-oval barrier around Ichigo. This was her technique, "Sōten Kisshun".

"What is she doing?" Nel asked.

"She's healing him." Grimmjow replied. "What do you think she was doing. Now then, while she heals him." He looked over at Sora. "I think could use a good warm up."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "You wanna fight me?"

"What else." The Blue-haired Espada sneered. "Don't think I forgot that stunt you pulled back there. This is the perfect chance for some payback. Besides, I I always wanted to fight you, so hopefully you'll prove a good challenge."

Sora wasn't looking for a fight, since he wanted to reunite Orihime with her friend and find Kairi. But he wasn't going to back down from one now. After all, if he was anything like Nnoitra, he might target the girls. "Nel, I want you to stay near Orihime. Got it."

Nel nodded as she went over to where Orihime and Ichigo were. Sora summoned his Keyblade and raised it into a battle position, ready to take on Grimmjow. Both fighters stared off at each other, then charged at one another. Sora's Keyblade colliding with Grimmjow's fist.

* * *

Running through a small corridor, Riku stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He had been running for so long, he was bound to become exhausted. He had arrived at the building he was heading towards but so far, he had not run into Sora or anyone for that matter.

"This place is like a maze." Riku groaned. "I thought by coming here I'd find Sora or the others but so far nothing.

The silvered-haired boy stared down at the dark hallway for a moment before saying. "I might as well keep going."

The Keyblade Master continued going through the corridor for a few more minutes before he could see the end. Running down the direction, he stopped when he noticed that half the room was completely covered in ice. He wondered what all this ice was doing here but then his eyes widened when he saw something.

Two figures were lying down on the ground. One of the figures was Aaroniero, who's head was completely severed. Riku inspected the body and could make out glass pieces where the head once stood. Next to the body were two smaller heads. One of the faces had a 9 tattooed on the left side of the mouth. While the other head had a 9 tattooed on near the right eye and was completely split in half.

Before he could investigate the area, he suddenly heard painful moans. Looking around, he spotted a girl laying nearby, with blood pouring out of her chest. She was short and petite with light skin and purple eyes. Her hair was black, with several strands of hair hanging between her eyes. She also wore a standard shihakushō. She was none other than Rukia Kuchiki.

Riku ran over to her and checked her pulse. He sighed in relief to see she was still alive. But he knew she would be dead soon if she wasn't treated. Deciding to act now, he summoned his Keyblade. His Keyblade was a dimple key for a pin tumbler lock, with a silver blade and two parallel grooves running the length of the blade at the center; several circular intents are etched along each edge asymmetrically. The blade juts out and then cuts back in just before it connects to the guard, which is black and blocky. The Keyblade's Keychain is almost identical to the Kingdom Key's keychain. This Keyblade was known as " _Braveheart"_.

Riku pointed the Braveheart Keyblade at her. The tip started glowing green as a large green light surrounded her. Riku was using " _Curaga."_

" _Healing magic wasn't really my forte but even so."_ Riku looked at Rukia, who's wounds slowly started closing. _"Please let this be enough to save her."_

* * *

Meanwhile, Nel and Orihime watched as Sora and Grimmjow began brawling with one another. Orihime was amazed that Sora was able to fight on even grounds with the Esapda. She remembered that He told her that he fought another Espada a while back who was ranked higher than Grimmjow. She wondered just how strong Sora was.

Sora could clearly see that this Grimmjow was no slouch, despite being ranked lower than Nnoitra. His Hierro was durable enough to withstand all his sword strikes. Grimmjow retaliated with a barrage of fast punches that Sora managed to block but was sent back. The Sixth Espada then fired numerous Balas, but Sora created Reflect barrier to block most of them. The rest he was able to avoid.

After fighting for a few minutes, both Espada and Keyblade wielder stepped away from each other, both of panting, trying to catch their breath. Orihime and Nel just watched, waiting to see what what going to happen.

Finally, Grimmjow said. "I gotta hand it to ya, Keyblade Wielder. You're a lot stronger than I gave ya credit for. No wonder Nnoitra's been gunning for you."

The spiky-haired boy merely looked at the Espada and replied. "Well, I've had experience and great friends to help me through the toughest times."

Grimmjow grinned at his remark before turning to Orihime. "Hey women, how's Ichigo doing?"

Both girls turned to Ichigo. Shockingly, the hole on his chest showed no sign of receding. Orihime closely examined the injury. _"There's an incredible amount of spiritual energy swirling around Ichigo's wounds."_ She thought.

Nel looked at the injury then at Orihime. "Can you heal Ichigo?"

"I'm trying. But I can't reject it." Orihime said. "I don't understand. Who would do such a thing?"

"It was Ulquiorra." Grimmjow stated, before explaining. "He's got a style of fighting that is his and his alone. It's very particular to him, like a signature. But I doubt he's aware of it."

"What would that be?" Sora asked.

"When he finds prey who catches eye, he stabs them in the same spot where his hole is." Grimmjow said before saying. "I'm going to teach him the nature of punishment. For taking someone else's pray."

Sora looked down and noticed Ichigo's hand started twitching. "Everyone look!"

Nel, Orihime, and Grimmjow looked at Ichigo's body. Surely enough, his hole finally began shrinking and his eyes started showing signs of life. Ichigo slowly grunted as he started blinking.

"Ichigo." Orihime smiled in relief.

Ichigo looked surprised to see Orihime healing him and Nel with her. "It's Nel…and Orihime. And…" He was more surprised to see someone he didn't know. "Who are…you?"

Before Sora could reply, Grimmjow pushed him away. "He's not important right now."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he saw Grimmjow near them. "What the…Grimmjow. Why are you with…Orihime?"

"Shut up Ichigo!" Grimmjow ordered. "She's healing you alright. And when you're completely healed, you and I are going one on one, Soul Reaper."

Sora, Nel, Orihime's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait a minute. You're saying you only wanted this guy healed just so you could fight him?!" Sora exclaimed.

"It can't be true. Is that the only reason you want him to heal!?" Orihime cried.

"Quit all your complaining!" Grimmjow said annoyed. "If it wasn't for me letting you save his life he'd be dead! Now get to work!" He said to Orihime, "Hurry! Ulquiorra will catch on to what's happening sooner or later and come back."

"And before he does…" Suddenly, everyone's eyes widened when someone appeared behind Grimmjow. Everyone turned and saw that it was Ulquiorra, staring at them with his usual emotionless eyes.

Nel turned to see Orihime looking at the Fourth Espada fearfully. Sora glared at the arrival of the Fourth Espada. After hearing what he did to Orihime to force her here and how he almost killed Ichigo, he started to hold a strong grudge at the Espada. Meanwhile, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at the Fourth Espada, who found him earlier than he anticipated.

Ulquiorra walked towards everyone but his eyes landed on Sora. "So, it would seem that you have chosen to align with Ichigo Kurosaki."

"You can say that I have." Sora stated, glaring at the Espada. True, he didn't know Ichigo but if he was friends with Orihime then he knew he wasn't a bad person.

"Then your fate was sealed the moment you chose to defy Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra stated as Sora remained on guard, remembering that the Espada were sent to kill him. "Before I deal with you, I must first take care of the ruckus Grimmjow created." Ulquiorra finished as he walked over to Grimmjow.

"Ulquiorra." Grimmjow said.

"Tell me Grimmjow, what's going on here? What are you doing?" Grimmjow ignored his question as Ulquiorra got closer to them.

"It's seems like a simple question. Perhaps I need to rephrase it. Why are you healing an enemy I already defeated?" Ulquiorra ordered.

Grimmjow said nothing as he just smirked. Ulquiorra stopped as he noticed his smirk. "You refuse to answer." Ulquiorra then stared at Orihime, who lowered her head.

He stared at her for a while until he said. "Fine. Have it your way. Regardless, the bottom line is Lord Aizen has entrusted that girl to my care."

"Hand her over." He ordered.

The Sixth Espada sneered. "I don't think I will."

"What did you say?" Ulquiorra said. Though his emotionless demeanor made it difficult to tell if he was angered by it.

"You heard me. But just so we're clear about me position here. LET ME DEMONSTRATE!" Grimmjow reared his fist back and ran over to the Fourth Espada to punched him. But Ulquiorra effortlessly blocked the attack with his hand. The result was a large explosion of blue spirit energy.

When it died down, Ulquiorra's hand and sleeve were left unscathed. "Don't think I don't know what's going on with you Ulquiorra. You're scared of fighting me. You're afraid you'll lose and be crushed." Grimmjow yelled as he fired a Cero at the Fourth Espada, only for him to jump out of the way and deflect it.

"HA! You deflected that one." Grimmjow said. "Let's see how many it'll take before I get you."

Then, Ulquiorra used Sonido to appear directly above Grimmjow. He pointed his finger at him, about to use his own Cero. However, Grimmjow used one of his hands to crushed Ulquiorra's Cero, causing an explosion that destroyed part of the room they were in. Sora created a shield that protected himself along with Ichigo, Orihime, and Nel.

Ulquiorra tried to search for Grimmjow through the smoke. But suddenly, the Sixth Espada appeared behind him, grabbing his shoulder. Ulquiorra noticed Grimmjow used a strange cube shaped object that went into his Hollow Hole. He was planning to…

A cage then started to surround Ulquiorra. The last thing he said before the cage disappeared from view is "Dammit."

Grimmjow looked at the spot where Ulquiorra was before landing back to where everyone was at.

"…What the? What did he just do!?" Sora questioned. Nel or Orihime couldn't respond to his question as they were just as confused as him. Orihime decided to ask Grimmjow herself.

"What…did you just do…up there?" She asked.

Grimmjow said. "Aizen gave each one of the Espada something called a Caja de Negación. Which we can use to punish subordinates. I used mine just now.

"Caja de Negación?" Sora repeated.

"It's a powerful tool that can permanently seal away anyone into another dimension. But it's power is limited. It's not made to be used against Espada." Grimmjow explained. "Considering the strength of his spiritual pressure, we've got 2 or 3 hours before he breaks free. There's no time to waste." Grimmjow said as he looked over at Orihime. "Come on, hurry up and heal your friend."

Orihime narrowed her eyes. "I won't."

Just then, Sora got between Orihime as he blocked Grimmjow's hand with his Keyblade.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Grimmjow asked through gritted teeth.

"I should be asking you that!" Sora growled. "What's wrong with you! She won't give you what you want so you try to force her!"

"I don't have time for this." Grimmjow said as he looked at Orihime. "Maybe you didn't hear what I said but that wasn't a request. Get to work!"

Orihime shook her head in refusal. "I refuse. If I heal Ichigo, you'll just turn around and hurt him some more. I won't do it."

Grimmjow looked pissed. "You damn tramp!" He growled as he struggled to push Sora Keyblade away. Sora was also having a difficult time against his strength. Just then, a hand grabbed on to Grimmjow's arm. Everyone turned to see Ichigo shakily getting back on his feet.

"That's enough." Ichigo said as he moved Grimmjow's arm away. "Orihime, please heal me." Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm asking you to heal my wounds."

"What!? But Ichigo…" Orihime tried to protest, clearly concerned for his safety.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. "You can just take Orihime and Nel and get out of here. I can take care of Grimmjow." He offered, but Ichigo shook his head.

"Thanks, but no thanks. This is my fight and I'm seeing this to the end." Ichigo said.

"But Ichi-." Nel was interrupted when Sora nodded. He could tell be Ichigo's eyes that he was serious about this fight. "Alright then."

Ichigo nodded before looking at Orihime again. "But first, Orihime, I want you to heal Grimmjow's injury as well." He said, noticing the large burn mark on his arm that he received from Ulquiorra's Cero.

This request earned surprised looks from everyone, especially Grimmjow. He responded with a scowl at his Soul Reaper rival and said. "Listen kid, you'll find that's a big mistake. I don't need your pity." He declared.

"Oh, it's not pity." Ichigo explained. "I assume you want us to fight at our full strength, right? Or am I mistaken? Do you plan to use your injuries as an excuse when you finally lose?" Suddenly, Grimmjow drew his Zanpakutō and charged straight at Ichigo, who blocked the attack with his own Zanpakutō as well.

"Alright then, bring it on. Let's have a fight to the death." Grimmjow declared as he and Ichigo jumped away from each other.

"Sounds good to me." Ichigo as he and Grimmjow stared off.

It took about ten minutes for Orihime to heal Ichigo's injuries. During that time, Sora decided to introduce himself to Ichigo. He explained that about a month ago, he ended in Hueco Mundo with no memory of his life. Which was why Aizen swayed him into joining his army of Arrancar. How, Sora and Orihime quickly pointed that Aizen was lying to him and when he found out, Sora betrayed them.

As Sora explained, Ichigo had recalled Tōshirō and the others mentioning they were defeated by a masked person named Sora, who had joined forces with Aizen. He was surprised to see the identity of this warrior was a kid no older than him. Nel also explained the she, Pesche and Dondochakka knew Sora too, as he would stop by to play with them when he was on break. She even said he was like a third brother to her, which caused Sora to chuckle sheepishly, much to Ichigo and Orihime's amusement.

When Sora revealed that he was a Keyblade Wielder, Ichigo remembered then recalled that before they left, Kisuke said to them that they will be joined by "special helpers" and if they met them then they were to work together with them save Orihime. After a while, both Ichigo and Grimmjow's wounds were fully healed. Before their battle could begin, Ichigo walked over to everyone, wanting to talk to them before his fight began.

Nel had expressed her worries of Ichigo fighting, saying he may end up worse than what Ulquiorra did to him. Ichigo smiled softly at her consideration before patting her head.

"C'mon Nel. Don't look at me like that. I'll be alright" Ichigo reassured as Nel looked at him worriedly, with tears in her eyes.

"But Ichigo. Ichigo." She lightly choked between words. Letting go, Ichigo stood up. "The same goes for you Orihime."

He turned to her, smirking "Trust me, I'll win."

Orihime nodded her head, despite her concerns. "Ichigo…please…do your best." She said with a smile.

"You got it." Ichigo agreed, smiling back. Then he went over to Sora. "Hey Sora, was it?"

"Yeah?" Sora asked.

"I'll be honest: I don't know you. So, I'm not sure whether I completely trust you. But…can you look after Orihime?" Ichigo asked, an expression of concern on his face as he looked over at his female friend.

Sora nodded his head. "Don't worry, I'll look after her. Count on it."

Ichigo smiled slightly. "Thanks…" Finally, he walked over to an impatient Grimmjow. "Let's take this battle elsewhere. Grimmjow."

"Fine with me." Grimmjow said as both he and Ichigo flew away from everyone else. The girls did their best to endure the large amount of pressure from their jump while Sora looked unfazed. Orihime spared one last glance at Ichigo, wishing him best of luck.

Eventually, the two rivals ended up in a wide area outside of Las Noches with sand everywhere. Ichigo took this time to take out his Zanpakutō.

"Bankai! _Tensa Zangetsu!_ " Ichigo yelled as he activated his Bankai. He held his Zangetsu, which turned into a sword that resembled a daitō, with a black blade instead. The cross guard had four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji. In addition to his sword, Ichigo's robe was replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining, which was closed at his chest and left to flare out into ragged ends

"Are you ready!" Grimmjow taunted. Instead of waiting for an answer, he and Ichigo charged forth and crossed blades, starting their battle.

As the two combatants battled with one another, Sora watched the fight quietly with Orihime and Nel at his side. Sora could tell that Ichigo's reason for fighting Grimmjow was personal so he decided to let him have this one. Though if it seemed that Ichigo was going to lose this battle then he will be ready to step in.

He looked over at Nel, who had her eyes closed and held her head in fright. He went over to her and asked. "Nel? What's wrong?"

"Ichigo." Nel said, sniffing. "Nel's scared Ichigo might..."

Sora could understand her worries. However, before he could comfort her, Orihime smiled as she got down and patted Nel on the head.

"It'll be alright. Ichigo will win the battle." Orihime reassured.

"But, you don't really know that for sure?" Nel asked.

"Because he said, 'trust me' and 'I'll win'." Orihime said.

"And that's enough for you?" Sora asked. "You really have so much faith in Ichigo? How do you know if he's not afraid and is just saying that to hide it?"

"That's right! Everyone says that when they're scared!" Nel exclaimed.

Orihime shook her head. "He wouldn't do that. He would never say he's going to win because he's afraid. And he wouldn't say it to fool himself, I can guarantee you that. Ichigo is a very focused person. Whenever he tells you something this important, he says it like he's swearing an oath. He did that when he appeared before me as a Soul Reaper for the very first time. The same thing happened when we went to the Soul Society to save Rukia. He does it to reassure us, but more than that, he's making a promise to himself. He makes a promise to himself and then he recites it out loud so it becomes a reality. So, it will be alright. If Ichigo says he's going to win, you can believe that's precisely what he'll do."

Nel couldn't help but stare in awe at Orihime. Sora was the same but then smiled as he decided to take Orihime's words to heart. "She's right, Nel. We should all believe in Ichigo. It's like what I always say, if you believe in something hard enough, then it will come true."

Orihime nodded before turning to face the battle. "Exactly, we just have to have faith. So, we'll stay here, and believe that he'll come back to us very soon."

On the other hand, Sora then noticed that Orihime's hands were shaking. It was as if she was saying that to hide her own doubts as well. Sora couldn't also help but contemplate on what she said. Truth be told, he kind of did the same thing himself and to Kairi. Whether it was leaving to fight Ansem, stopping Xemnas and the Organization, his final battle with Master Xehanort, and when he use the Power of Waking to find Kairi, he would always reassure his friends that he would win and return home safely. More of a vow than a consolation. He may not have known Ichigo for long, but he could feel a connection with him. But, the only way to know that Ichigo was going to win…is for him to come back alive.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow attacked with his Zanpakutō, but Ichigo managed to block his attack with his Zanpakutō. With a maniacal grin, Grimmjow tossed his sword aside and prepared a Cero with his left hand.

Ichigo blocked the hand with his sword and prepared to counter the attack. "Getsuga…"

Unfortunately, Grimmjow blasted him with a Cero with his other hand, causing a large explosion.

"Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!" Grimmjow laughed before smirking as he said. "Nice! I've been waiting a long time for this. A chance to crush you while you're at full strength. Bet, you feel the same way don't you? Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo emerged unscathed and said. "You're wrong. I didn't come here to take you on so I could crush you." Ichigo replied.

"Don't give me that pathetic lie!" Grimmjow scowled. "Now say it! Say that you can't wait to get a hold of me and rip me apart for tearing up that friend of yours." Ichigo narrowed his eyes, remembering what he did to Rukia during their first encounter. And how he was powerless to do anything about it. "The truth is you want to kill me, don't you?"

Grimmjow then pointed at the scar on his chest. "Now I get my revenge. You'll understand why I kept this scar on my chest. To remind me of my humiliation." Both fighters suddenly recalled their first battle. How Ichigo's attack had left that scar on Grimmjow's chest. "Let's get started. I'm gonna choke the life outta ya. And finally prove, which one of us is stronger!"

Grimmjow went to retrieve his Zanpakutō. When he got it, he looked down and frowned as he noticed Ichigo's expression. "What now, you little weakling. After all this, you still look like you don't want to kill me."

The two stared down for a moment before Grimmjow said. "You are so pathetic."

"Is that right." Ichigo coldly said.

Not saying anything, the Espada used Sonido to attack Ichigo from behind. Ichigo sensed the attack and dodged in time. The fighters then went at it once again. Ichigo and Grimmjow clashed with their blades repeatedly to gain an advantage. As they locked in combat, Grimmjow frowned as he said.

"I have a question for you. Why did you bother coming here in the first place?" Grimmjow questioned.

Ichigo glared at him. "Are you some kind of idiot Grimmjow!? I came here to rescue Orihime." He declared.

Grimmjow didn't look convinced. "Oh really? Well if that's true, then why didn't you grab the girl and run the moment you saw her?" Ichigo eyes widened as he was unable to answer. Honestly, why didn't he? His whole purpose for coming here was to save Orihime. He could've taken her and ran off while Ulquiorra battled Grimmjow but instead he chose to stay and fight. Sora even offered to fight Grimmjow in his place to give him a chance to escape.

"Tell me. Were you relieved to see that she was unhurt? Or at least appeared to be on the surface?" Ichigo's eyes slightly widened as Grimmjow sneered. "Are you naïve or were you just born that way?

Ichigo immediately scowled at the Espada. "You bastards! What did you guys do to Orihime?"

"Good. That's more like it Ichigo." Grimmjow moved his sword away from the Substitute Soul Repeat. "You said you came here to save that girl right." He repeated. "Let me enlighten you since you don't seem to get it." Ichigo said nothing as the Espada continued. "You're wrong. The only reason you came here was to fight."

"C'mon Ichigo." He continued. "Aren't you even aware of the path as which your instincts have lead you. You're a Soul Reaper, I'm a Hollow. The loser of this battle will be slaughtered. It's been that way for over a thousand years."

The Espada then shouted. "THAT'S ALL THE REASON YOU NEED TO FIGHT! GOT IT! SO COME ON! It's pretty simple, the last one standing gets to live."

With that, the combatants began their sword fight, clash their swords till the other gave in. after backing away, Ichigo reared his sword back, which began to generate black and red-outlined Spiritual Energy. Grimmjow prepared to fire a Cero at Ichigo.

" _Getsuga Tenshō!_ " Ichigo yelled, as he launched a powerful slash attack that took the form of a crescent moon. Both attacks collided and seemed evenly matched in power. However, Grimmjow's Cero broke through, but Ichigo dodged it in time. Suddenly, Grimmjow appeared behind him, rearing his sword back, slashing Ichigo in the torso.

The orange-haired teen stayed in the air while Grimmjow landed on the ground. Placing his sword on the ground, Grimmjow frowned as he said. "You've got a nice murderous look in your eyes now. But…" The Espada then slashed his own hand, drawing blood. "It's not good enough!"

"You're not at the level yet where I want this battle to take place." Then, Grimmjow began charging a large, powerful, blue Cero. Unknown to them, it was a Gran Rey Cero. "This is the ultimate Cero which only the Espada can use." He informed Ichigo. The Substitute Soul Reaper had made to dodge, but realized if he did then Sora, Nel, and Orihime will get caught in the crossfire. "Hold on! Don't release it!"

"Gran Rey Cero!" Grimmjow fired his ultimate cero, which headed straight for Orihime.

"ORIHIME!" Ichigo screamed as he flew back to the others. From where he was it looked like he wasn't going to make it. Unless he uses _it_. Before he could, someone appeared in front of the Gran Rey Cero and blocked it. Then, when the dust settled down, Ichigo saw that Orihime and Nel were okay. The person that blocked the Cero was Sora, who held his Keyblade horizontally.

"Orihime! Nel! Are you guys OK!?" Ichigo questioned. Orihime and Nel both nodded as Sora put down his Keyblade.

"Of course they are. I promised you I'd look after them." Sora said. "Focus on your own battle! I'll handle thing from here!"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Now get behind Orihime. I can't guarantee your safety by what I'm about to do." Sora nodded as he ran back.

Turning around, Ichigo knew that was too close for comfort. Of course, that meant he had to take this battle more seriously now. Meaning he would have to use _that_ technique. He had been training for a month to control that power ever since he lost to Grimmjow. Now, was the moment of truth. He only hoped he could hold it for a longer period.

Ichigo placed one of his hand over his face, causing black spiritual energy to manifest over it. Then, pulling his hand away, he summoned a mask that covered his face.

"Well, it's about time." Grimmjow said, seeing his plan paid off.

From where he was standing, Sora could make out some of the details the mask Ichigo was wearing. To him, it resembled a mask like the Hollows. It was pure white on the right side while the left side had ten red stripes. He also noticed his eyes had changed color, they were now black with the pupils being yellow. Sora then turned and saw that Orihime's eyes widen in fright after seeing this. Nel also noticed and wondered why she was afraid.

Ichigo glanced back at the others, causing Orihime to flinch. Seeing her expression, Ichgio turned back and said. **"Sorry, this frightens you, doesn't it?"** Ichigo asked, his voice sounding distorted. Orihime said nothing as she continued to stare at Ichigo with wide eyes.

" **I know it's pointless telling you not to worry when I look like this."** Ichigo spoke with a bitter tone. **"But I'll tell you anyways, there's nothing to worry about. I'll finish this quickly."**

Orihime didn't know what to say, until Sora held her hand. Looking at her, she could see Sora having a small smile while also looking determined. As if telling her to have faith in his words. Knowing that, Orihime slightly calmed down and looked back at Ichigo.

Grimmjow began laughing madly at the sight of Ichigo's mask. Calming down, Grimmjow grinned as he shouted. "It's about time! Now we can get down to business!" Taking his Zanpakutō out of the sand, he held it with his right hand like the start of a low sweep stroke. The sword began glowing light blue as he puts his left hand up to it.

" _Grind, Pantera!_ " He shouted as he raked his hand along the length of the blade with a swift motion. Then, a massive amount of spiritual energy was released that created gusts of wind with tremendous force around the area. Everyone saw that he began releasing a torrent of spiritual power that created tremendous gusts of wind in the immediate vicinity.

"What's going on now!?" Sora asked, seeing the display as he held Nel from being blown away.

Orihime stared at the display before Ichigo turned back to everyone and said. **"Orihime, use your Santen Kesshun to protect yourself and everyone until this is over. No matter what happens, don't take it down."**

Orihime still looked concerned however. What was going to happen to Ichigo if she didn't protect him?

" **Do it now!"** Ichigo ordered, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Orihime decided to do what he advised. "Yes! Of course, Ichigo! _Santen Kesshun, I reject!_ " Calling Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon, she created a triangle shaped dome to protect herself and everyone. Sora and Nel looked impressed at this.

Ichigo and everyone looked down to see that Grimmjow was finished with his transformation.

They saw that Grimmjow's whole appearance had changed drastically. In Sora's eyes, he looked something more like a feline with a predatory appearance. His teeth became jagged and sharp, his hands turned into black claws and his feet became black clawed paws, similar to that of a cat, along with a slender whip-like tail that was longer than his body. His hair became very long and flowing, and the markings around his eyes enlarged and extended to the tips of his ears, which became swept back and cat-like. He lost his distinctive jaw mask, which was replaced by a sort of a headgear upon his brow covering his forehead. His clothing changed to become a form-fitting white segmented armor and had blades protruding from his forearms and his calves.

Grimmjow had entered his Resurrección.

"So that's Grimmjow's Resurrección." Sora noted. Looking at his appearance, Sora noted that it definitely fitted him.

Suddenly, Grimmjow let out a mighty roar that caused an enormous shock wave. Ichigo barely stood his ground against that wave. Then, with increased speed, Grimmjow flew towards Ichigo and dealt a heavy punch on him that send him crashing through several red towers.

"ICHIGO!" Sora shouted as Orihime and Nel gasped. As soon as Ichigo recovered from the blow, Grimmjow reappeared and kneed him on the stomach, sending him higher into the air. Then, he appeared above the Substitute Soul Reaper and punched him with his claws, causing him to plummet down to the building below.

Grimmjow looked throughout the dust cloud, but saw no sigh of Ichigo. Was he done in already? He scowled, displeased at this. "What's wrong with you! You can do better than that!" He shouted.

"Come out and fight!" The Espada ordered. Then, to his surprise, Ichigo appeared behind, his sword generating spirit energy large than the last one. **"Getsuga Tenshō!** " He fired a more powerful Getsuga Tenshō at Grimmjow.

Ichigo hoped that attack would slow him down. However, to his shock, Grimmjow was able to survive that attack without receiving so much as a scratch. From the dust cloud, Grimmjow laughed manically as he saw Ichigo's expression.

"Yes! That's what I'm taking about!" Grimmjow screamed with excitement. "Those eyes…I hate those damn eyes! AND THAT'S WHY YOU GOTTA DIE!" With that, Grimmjow and Ichigo resumed their battle once again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora, Nel, and Orihime weren't the only ones watching the battle. From their chamber, Halibel and her Fracciónes had been watching Ichigo and Grimmjow's fight from the start. From what they could see so far, the space between their battle had become distorted.

"Look at that, he's distorted the atmosphere." Apacci pointed out.

"Gran Rey Cero? You'd think he'd know better than to use that from within the confides of Las Noches." Mila Rose frowned.

Putting her foot over the ledge, Apacci glanced back at her with a smirk and said. "Hey! What's the deal!? Are ya scared, Mila Rose!?"

"Not me. But I'm surprised you can hear anything with your teeth chattering so loudly Apacci, you coward." Mila Rose responded with a taunting grin.

This act caused Apacci to scowl at her comrade. "What did you say!?"

"You heard me!" Mila Rose retorted. Both female Fracciónes began glaring at each other as usual.

"Would you please stop bickering, both of you." Sung-Sun asked. "You raise your voices like that, it only makes you look weak." By her normal expression, it was hard to tell if she was taunting them or not.

Both Mila Rose and Apacci begged to differ however, as they both glared at her. "STAY OUTTA THIS, SUNG-SUN! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

"It's so very unattractive." Sung-Sun said, looking away from them.

"Listen you-"

"Don't turn your back on us-"

Suddenly, a strong wind caused by Ichigo and Grimmjow reached their area, interrupting their argument. The girls struggled to keep themselves together, while Halibel remained unaffected by the strong wind.

Mila Rose scowled as she said. "What does Grimmjow think he's doing? This is starting to get out of hand!

Halibel, who had only been watching silently until now, spoke up. "Try to relax. This battle is being fought by an Espada in his Resurrección form. Your fear is understandable. But it is primordial fear…relish it."

Apacci, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun looked both confused and concerned but agreed with their master's advice. Halibel continued watching the fight between Grimmjow and the half Soul Reaper named Ichigo Kurosaki as a thought came to mind. " _The question is…is the person he's fighting really human? It's hard to believe that any human could possess spirit energy as dense and darkly powerful as his. It's almost as if I'm watching a battle between two Espada."_

" _The only time I felt that way was when Sora battled Nnoitra."_ Halibel's eyes snapped as the thought of Sora came to mind, though her Fracciónes didn't notice her reaction. They were also too focused on the battle to pay attention to the spectators. Halibel had spotted Sora, along with the child Arrancar she saw him with and the girl know as Orihime Inoue. Even though he had betrayed them, and despite Aizen's orders to kill Sora, Halibel admitted that a small amount of hesitation was growing in the pit of her stomach.

" _Sora, I pray that you...flee far from this war...as possible._ " She thought.

* * *

"I'm gonna take you down Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Grimmjow charged at Ichigo and slammed him into one of the red towers. Ichigo groaned in pain as blocked Grimmjow's hand with his Zanpakutō. As they locked onto each other, the Espada sneered at him. "It seems you've increased the amount of time you can sustain that mask since we last met. Have you been training since then? Or have you been ignorantly gaining experience in the battles you had since the last time we fought?"

Ichigo didn't answer, as he was struggling to move Grimmjow's hand away. "It doesn't matter." Grimmjow stated. "In fact, I'm glad. It wouldn't be any fun if you're mask cracked too quickly. LIKE IT DID LAST TIME!" He made to destroy Ichigo's Hollow Mask, but the Substitute Soul Reaper grabbed his arm before he could.

" **So, you're worried about this fight being boring?"** Ichigo rhetorically asked. Then, increasing his spiritual pressure, Ichigo said. **"I'll spice it up for you then!"** Using Zangetsu, he slashed Grimmjow in the chest, causing blood to flow out.

The Espada gasped in pain. **"Know what I think would be really boring?"** The Substitute Soul Reaper asked. **"If you weren't in your release state. So do me a favor, and stay just the way you are!"** Ichigo proceeded to cut Grimmjow, but he blocked the attacks with the blades on his forearms. Grimmjow then delivered a kick to Ichigo's side, then punched him in the arm. Ichigo tried to slash him, but Grimmjow jumped high and spun around to deliver a kick down Ichigo's head. He dodged the attack but was caught off guard by the surprise claw swipe that send him crashing down to the ground.

Grimmjow laughed sadistically. "C'mon, Ichigo Kurosaki! Is that all you got!?" The Sixth Espada started to fly towards him, but Ichigo surprised him by dealing a large cut on his arm. Both of them charged at each other again, a large explosion resulting from the collision of their attacks.

Sora, Nel, and Orihime watched in awe at the ongoing battle.

Nel however, still remained concerned for Ichigo's safety. "Ichigo." She whispered.

Orihime wrapped her arms around herself as she worried over her friend's safety. "Please let him be alright…Please."

"Don't worry." Orihime and Nel turned to Sora as he watched the battle, analyzing both combatants. "I don't know what Ichigo did but that mask has also increased his abilities. I'm sure he'll be fine."

While she didn't doubt his judgement, Orihime couldn't help but have a feeling this fight was going to turn against him.

Ichigo kept on attacking with several sword attacks but Grimmjow countered with kicks and punches. He also displayed acrobatic skills by executing several spin and flip techniques, which combined with his hand-to-hand combat skills, made him more formidable. Ichigo then began gliding up the tower, Grimmjow grinned as he lifted his elbow forward. Shockingly, five dark-green crystal shaped darts came out of his elbow. This was one of Grimmjow's special attacks; " _Garra de la Pantera._ "

He fired them at Ichigo, which he dodged by a split second. However, he realized that Orihime, Sora and Nel were right in front of the trajectory. Sora would have countered those attacks but saw that the barrier was getting in the way.

Before he could do anything, everyone watched in shock as Ichigo appeared in front of Orihime and took the full force of those attacks. The hit his back very hard and caused him to spit out blood in the process.

"Ich...Ichigo!" Nel cried.

"Why did you do that!? I would've protected her!" Sora yelled.

" **Sorry."** Ichigo said, panting. The way he was talking, Sora could tell how bad Ichigo's condition was. **"I j-just acted on instinct."**

Orihime meanwhile, stared at Ichigo with worried eyes.

Ichigo noticed and said. **"I'm alright. Don't worry. This is nothing."** Ichigo said as he looked at her eye-to-eye.

Seeing his eyes caused her to think back of the time she encountered her brother who had become a Hollow. Just the thought of that caused her to become frighten by his appearance.

Ichigo then went back to the ground where he saw Grimmjow waiting for him. The Espada smirked as he saw Ichigo breathing heavily.

"That was quite impressive." Grimmjow commented. "Was saving you friends worth the pay?"

Ichigo just glared, continuing to take deep breaths. "What's wrong? Looks like you're out of breath."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and said. **"Might wanna spend less time running your mouth, and more figuring out how your gonna survive."**

"Hah. You can drop the tough guy act." Grimmjow fired one dart, aimed towards one of the red towers. The result of the attack destroyed it completely. "I hit you with _five_ of those attacks already. Your body has taken significant damage." Ichigo didn't respond, but a small crack appeared on his mask.

Grimmjow noticed this, proving his point. "Your mask must be at its limit?"

" **Limit!"** Ichigo waved his hand over his mask, repairing the crack. **"Not even close!"**

"You just don't give up!" Grimmjow lightly shouted. "But that's the way I like it." Suddenly, a crack appeared on his forehead as well.

Ichigo noticed that and smirked underneath his mask. **"Hate to break it to you, but you're looking pretty banged up yourself."**

Grimmjow scoffed at the remark. "Afraid not! I've never felt better in my life!" He and Ichigo started to fight again.

The spectators continued watching as the opponents battled with intense speed. Sora had his arms crossed as he kept up with their movements while Nel was having slight trouble with it. Orihime however, was still feeling scared for Ichigo.

" _I mustn't…be afraid."_ She thought while clutching he right arm. _"I mustn't."_ Seeing his eyes again, she remembered the incident with her brother, which increased her worries over Ichigo. _"No! When I think about those eyes…they're not Ichigo's at all. It's like they belong to someone else. And when Ichigo looks at me with those eyes…It's like he doesn't even see me. Just like my brother. The same eyes. Ichigo."_

However, to their horror, it seemed that the battle was turning against Ichigo's favor. They saw that part of his mask began breaking and that Ichigo was having a harder time keeping up with Grimmjow's attacks as he kept beating on him. The last attack knocked Ichigo straight into another red tower, demolishing it in the process.

"Oh no." Nel said in shock. "Even with his mask on, Master Grimmjow is still beating him." Sora looked at her questionably as she went on. "In his fight with Master Dordoni and against Master Ulquiorra, whenever Ichigo put on his mask, there was never a doubt that he was going to win. When Ichigo was masked, there was no one who could beat him. But now..." Nel continued to watch Ichigo struggling to hold his own as Grimmjow began overpowering him. "What's happening to Ichigo? How can he be losing like this?"

"There's a limit." Nel turned to Sora has he looked on with narrowed eyes. "From what I see, Ichigo's mask uses a lot of energy to maintain and it can't last forever. His mask has clearly hit that limit but he's using all his strength just to keep it up. His condition was already worse when he took on those attacks. If his mask breaks now, it's over."

Nel's eyes widened in shock. "Then…Zola you have to do something." She said, pleadingly. "Please Zola, you have to help Ichigo."

"I can't." Sora said seriously.

"But…why?" Nel asked, confused by his action.

"Because." Sora replied. "This is Ichigo's fight. Right now, he's doing everything he can to protect all of us." He then looked at Nel with a small smile. "Remember, we just need to keep on believing that Ichigo will win."

Nel looked at him for a moment, before she looked and saw Orihime hugging herself in fear and sadness with her eyes closed.

Knowing she needed faith, Nel started inhaled deeply and shouted. "HEY, YOU CAN DO IT ICHIGO!"

Sora smirked while Orihime snapped out of as she stared at the little girl in surprise. The Keybearer then joined in. "Come on Ichigo, you can win! I know you can!"

Sora then looked at the confused girl and said. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you gonna cheer for him too."

"…Huh?" Orihime said, confused.

"That's the best you can do!?" He shouted incredulously. "HE'S OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS HUH!?" Seeing she was still confused, Nel continued. "Why are you so afraid of him? You think he's some kind of monster!?"

"You know that he has a kind heart, you said so yourself. It's as plain as night and day. Even Nel can see it!" Nel stated. "And Ichigo cares about you too. He cares so much that when he heard your name he attacked Master Ulquiorra with everything he had."

Orihime was shocked to hear how far Ichigo would go for her. "Nel's right." Sora said with Orihime turning. "You should at least support him. I've noticed that you've been looking like you're afraid of Ichigo? Sora questioned.

Orihime eyes widened as she stared at Sora, not saying a word.

"I'm not gonna ask you why you're feeling like that." Sora said earning a surprised look from Orihime. "To be honest, I don't really know him all that well, but I know the kind of person he is. The type that feels they need to shoulder everyone's burden and face everything head on. He reminds me a lot of my friend Riku, who tried to do things on my own because he wanted to protect me." Sora said, recalling how Riku protected him from the Organization when he was asleep, even taking on Ansem's form to defeat Roxas just so he could wake up and had Mickey promise to never tell him what Riku had to do.

"But eventually, I told him that you don't have to do everything on your own. Because I learned that I have friends who supported me and through their support, I was able to become stronger." Sora continued. "Ichigo said he came here to save you. He must have gone through a lot to make it this far. And right now, he's using that power and getting himself injured because he's fighting for you."

Nel nodded in agreement. "Zola's right. Every time he uses that mask, he exposes himself to its insane power. He has to be suffering. But he's doing it for you so he doesn't care. He uses the power and endures all the pain and suffering for you." Orihime listened as Nel urged. "How will he feel...how will he feel if he doesn't even here your voice cheering him!"

Orihime looked at them in shock and surprise as she heard this. She glanced over at Ichigo, seeing him struggle against Grimmjow. _"That's right"_ She thought. _"I whole reason that I came here…was because I wanted to protect everyone. I thought I was ready to make whatever sacrifice. But then, when I heard that Ichigo and the others had come to save me…somewhere deep in my heart, I felt such happiness. But then I saw Ichigo wearing a mask and his eyes, they looked like my brother's eyes that night. I was so scared. I thought that…maybe he didn't come to save me after all. But I was wrong. All of my fears…they mean nothing. None of that matters anymore. I'm…I'm not afraid of Ichigo. I'm only afraid that Ichigo will…"_

Sora smiled as he saw that the fear in Orihime's eyes were gone. Sora placed a hand on her shoulder and said. "Orihime…I think it's time he heard your voice?" Orihime looked at Sora and nodded, smiling while tearing up.

Ichigo crashed into the tower that was below them. Grimmjow walked over and stared at Ichigo with a frown. "It looks like you were wrong again. You've reached your limit." He said. Ichigo shakily got up as he was completely out of breath. He had lost almost the left part of his mask. "It was fun. But now it's over." Ichigo glared at Grimmjow. He hates to admit it but he was right. His mask was almost gone and he felt completely out of spirit energy. What was he supposed to do?

"Don't die." Ichigo's eyes widened as he thought he heard Orihime's voice. "DON'T DIE ICHIGO!" Ichigo looked up and saw that it was Orihime, who was looking at him from above.

"…You don't have to win. And you don't have to fight for me." Orihime choked as tears ran down her cheeks. "Just don't get hurt. I couldn't bear it." Ichigo continued to stare at Orihime with eyes of astonishment. He looked over at Sora, who nodded his head in encouragement.

"Kurosaki!" Grimmjow roared as he attempted to attack Ichigo from behind. However, without even turning, the Substitute Soul Reaper grabbed Grimmjow's arm. The Sixth Espada looked bewailed as Ichigo turned to him, smiled and said.

" **So Grimmjow, here's the deal."** Ichigo said. **"You see…I've had a change of heart. And I can't allow myself to get beaten by someone like you."**

Grimmjow's eyes widened as Ichigo brought Zangetsu down, and slashed Grimmjow's across the chest, causing blood erupted instantly.

* * *

Aqua had her hands on her knees, catching her breath. She had been running for almost twenty minutes but had yet to find Sora. Then, she suddenly felt a sudden increase in power between two people and it was escalating really fast. Aqua turned and to the direction of the power increase and saw a distorted atmosphere not too far from where she was.

"This power. There must be a battle happening over there. I can tell both opponents are giving it there all." Aqua state as she felt the power between Ichigo and Grimmjow. She assumed if she felt it then maybe the others did to. She was tempted to investigate the area, when she felt the presence of more people near her location.

Looking around, she spotted a large building a few feet in front of her. Aqua stopped to closely inspect it. The building was dome shaped with a green roof with multiple bumps on it.

Closing her eyes, Aqua sensed the presence of five people from beneath it. Four of those held light while one of them was filled with malice. Aqua also sensed that this dark heart was stronger than the four and they would not last long on their own.

While finding Sora and the others was her priority, Aqua wasn't the person to leave people to fend for themselves. The bluenette opened her eyes, looking determined. "Wait for me a little while everyone. I have to see this through."

With that, she made her way to that building.

* * *

In another area of Las Noches, the Corridor of Darkness opened in the middle of the desert. A second later, Kairi dashed out of the portal and landed on the sand. The red-haired girl shielded her eyes because of the brightness, due to having spent a month in an dark room with little light. After her eyes adjusted, Kairi looked around and saw nothing but an endless desert for miles.

"This must be Las Noches." Kairi recalled Aizen telling her the name. "I never expected Aizen's fortress to be like this. Still, I should start looking for Sora. Where could he-"

Kairi was interrupted when she sensed two powers increasing, the pressure nearly knocked her off her feet. After regaining herself, Kairi asked. "What was that?"

She looked at the direction where red towers were sticking out of the sand, which was where Ichigo and Grimmjow's battle was taking place. Upon closer inspection, Kairi had a feeling that this was the place she needed to go.

"I don't know if it's the right place or not but it looks like I can find some answers there." Kairi said as she began making her way. However-

"CRASH!"

Kairi was forced to stop when two Adjuchas rose from the sand. Not having seen Hollows before, Kairi was a little creeped out by their appearance.

 **"Looks like we've found ourselves a new meal!"**

 **"Let me have her. I'm sure she'll taste good."**

 **"You get the top and I'll take the bottom!"**

 **"Deal!"**

The red-haired narrowed her eyes as she summoned her Keyblade. "Sorry, but dinners been cancelled."

The first Adjucha lunged at Kairi, only for her to jump high and flip over behind him. Before he could react, Kairi swung her Keyblade.

" _Flower Shoot!_ " Kairi released a large orb of light that struck the Adjucha hard in the face.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" He scream as part of it's mask was destroyed. Kairi smirked in satisfaction before large shadow surrounded her. It was the order Adjucha that brought down his fist. The red-haired barely reacted to block the blow but was knocked off her feet. As she got up, the Adjucha regained himself.

 **"Now, your mine!"**

However, before Kairi could react, the Adjucha stopped in its tracks as it was bisected. The other one looked in confusion until a person with blinding speed sliced his head off. Both Menos Grande fell to the ground dead.

"That was a close one. Good thing we made in time."

"And it looks like we found someone we were looking for."

Both people smiled at Kairi as she also smiled in relief of the people who came to save her.

"Terra. Ven."

* * *

Everyone looked to see Grimmjow frozen, staring up in the sky. He fell on his knees and looked as if he was about to collapsed. However, he grabbed his rival's Zanpakutō. Ichigo looked in shock to see Grimmjow glaring up at him, despite his wounds. "You're a fool Ichigo. I'm still here!"

Grimmjow started to get up as he said. "You think that you've won!? You think you've beaten me!? I'll scatter your bones to the sand!"

"Ichigo, Look out!" Orihime warned. Too late, Grimmjow ran his hand through Ichigo's stomach, drawing a lot of blood.

"ICHIGO!" Orihime screamed in fear. Nel covered her mouth in horror while Sora gritted his teeth. They were foolish to believe the fight had ended that early.

As he stared at Ichigo, Grimmjow suddenly remembered his life before becoming an Arrancar. Back when he was an Adjuchas-class Menos, he came across a group of other Adjuchas-class Menos that would later become his Fracciónes; Shawlong Koufang, Edrad Liones, Yylfordt Granz, Nakeem Grindina, and Di Roy Rinker. Di Roy had attempted to eat him, but he attacked him and ate a chunk of his head before Di Roy could react. They were impressed at his strength and then introduced themselves. Shawlong, who was their leader at the time, asked him to join them, where the group bowed to him. He remembered Shawlong explaining to him that they had no intention of remaining Adjuchas or Gillians, vowing to become Vasto Lorde. But in order to do that they needed strength that they could use to pull themselves up. Having seen his strength, Shawlong asked that he lead them as their king.

Eventually, the two jumped away from each other. Ichigo clutched the wound in his stomach as he glared at Grimmjow. Grimmjow frowned as he saw the expression on Ichigo's eyes. "What! Those eye's…they keep mocking me!" He seethed, looking back to their previous battles. "No matter how badly I beat you, somewhere deep inside you think you can beat me. You always believe you're superior to me!"

Grimmjow immediately ran towards him. "I CAN'T STAND THAT!" He punched Ichigo, knocking over the sand a few times. Not finished yet, Grimmjow swiped his claw at Ichigo but he blocked it with his sword.

Surprisingly, Ichigo laughed as he and Grimmjow locked on. **"Just what is it you can't stand!? Are you upset that a lowly human like me would have the nerve to treat you as an equal?"**

Angered, Grimmjow once again ran his hand through Ichigo's stomach, causing the Substitute Soul Reaper spit up blood. Not done yet, Grimmjow went to kick Ichigo high in the air. Watching him soar, Grimmjow said. "That has nothing to do with it! It doesn't matter to me if you're a Human, a Soul Reaper, or an Arrancar! They're all the same! Anybody that looks down on ME will be crushed!"

He took off after Ichigo, who saw him for a moment before disappearing. He had used Sonido to get behind Ichigo. "As for you Ichigo, you're gonna be the first one to go!" Grimmjow shouted as he moved all his claws together, causing each of them to grow into long, sharp blades composed of blue spirit energy.

"…Are you ready?" Grimmjow grinned.

"What is that!?" Sora questioned in shock. Nel and Orihime gasped as well. Ichigo was also in shock as he recovered and faced Grimmjow. Grimmjow grinned manically as he said. " _Desgarrón!_ It's my ultimate technique."

While preparing to attack, Grimmjow recalled another event from his past. After a while, Shawlong had told him that they were all giving up on there mission. Yylfordt had explained that they had already given up on their quest to evolve into Vasto Lorde after having eaten over one thousand Hollows and haven't felt their power increase anymore. And after having eaten three thousand, they knew that it would be pointless to continue. Grimmjow told them that if they wanted to give up then it was fine, but he wasn't going to have anything to do with it. Shawlong then asked him if he would eat them, and noted that since Grimmjow had already taken a piece of Di Roy, he would never evolve into a Vasto Lorde and that in conjunction, their evolution would end where it was at as well. He had called them cowards for resorting to such measure, but Shawlong explained that they have become enlightened. It was not only to the fact that they would never become Vasto Lorde, but it was something they knew even before becoming Hollows. They knew that they would always only be Adjuchas and that Grimmjow would have been the only one to evolve beyond that stage.

Drawing five of his claws, Grimmjow threw them down at Ichigo. Not wasting time, he blocked them with Zangetsu, but the attack proved to be too powerful as Ichigo was having a hard time blocking them. Ichigo gritted his teeth in frustration as the technique pushed him back.

Grimmjow laugh madly at his predicament. "It's Over! You're finished Ichigo!" However, his mind had wandered off elsewhere. _"They make me sick. I'm gonna wipe that smirk of your face. They're all cowards. Fine, if that's what you want I'll eat you all. Become my flesh and blood and see what lies ahead. I am…"_

"I AM THE KING!" Grimmjow shouted. But then, to his shock, Ichigo began cutting threw one of his energy claws. Ichigo started flying towards him as Zangetsu shattered the attack into pieces.

Ichigo panted as he said. **"You know…I got news for you. You're not only one who wants to win."**

"What's that!" Grimmjow growled in agitation.

 _(Bleach-Number One Instrumental)_

" **You want to kill me because of how I look at you."** Ichigo then shot a determined glare at Grimmjow. **"Well…I know how you feel."**

Grimmjow used his Desgarrón once more, but Ichigo charged forward with his Zanpakutō ready. **"You were right before, when you said that I came here because I wanted to fight!"** Raising Zangetsu, he began cutting through the attack. **"The real reason I came here was to defeat you!"**

As he started to move towards the Espada, Ichigo continued. **"So, I'm going to destroy you! And Ulquiorra! I'm going to defeat Aizen! And then I'm going to take Rukia, with Chad, and Uryū, and Renji…I'M GOING TO TAKE ORIHIME!"**

Orihime's eyes widened at his declaration.

" **All of my friends…AND BRING THEM HOME SAFE WITH ME! I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!"** Ichigo shouted as he got closer to the Espada. Grimmjow stared with a stunned expression until…Ichigo finally arrived and stabbed him straight through his chest.

Neither person said anything until Grimmjow said. "…Damn you…" Ichigo then pulled his sword out from his chest. The Espada started falling to the ground, until Ichigo caught him by his arm. At that moment, Ichigo's Hollow Mask had vanished completely.

Ichigo gently landed on the ground and placed Grimmjow down. Looking at him, he could see that he was unconscious, clearly meaning that he was defeated. With that, he went and flew back to Orihime, Nel, and his new friend. Orihime shyly watched as Ichigo appeared in front of them. Afraid, she timidly asked. "Are you-?"

"Hurt." Ichigo interrupted, giving her a kind smile. "I was…gonna ask you that. I'm fine."

Orihime stared in shock before forming a smile in relief. _"Thank goodness. He's…he's my Ichigo again."_ Orihime thought before saying, "I'm okay too. Thank you."

Ichigo smiled with relief. He was about to make his way towards her when-

"ICHIGO!"

Nel tackled Ichigo which caused him to skid across the air. Regaining himself, he grabbed Nel. "ARE YOU CRAZY!? I'M STANDING IN MIDAIR!" He shouted, feeling miffed. "YOU WOULD HAVE FALLEN HUNDREDS OF FEET TO YOUR DEATH IF I HADN'T CAUGHT YOU! DID YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THAT!"

"Nel so happy." Calming down slightly, Ichigo looked to Nel, who was weeping in his chest with joy. "Ichigo is alive. Nel so happy you didn't die."

Smiling, Ichigo gently rubbed Nel's head and said. "Thanks Nel. I appreciate it." Flying back to the others, Ichigo put Nel down and returned his attention to Sora.

"Man, Ichigo, you look beat up." He jokingly stated.

Ichigo chuckled. "I guess I've seen better days. Anyways, I just want to say thanks…for protecting Orihime. It means a lot."

"No problem." Sora said "I'm also glad that you're alright." Ichigo smiled and nodded his head as he walked over to Orihime, who smiled, "It's good to see you."

Ichigo then reached his hand towards her. "We should go. Everyone is waiting for us."

Orihime nodded her head. She took his hand and soon, the two of them looked at each other for a moment. Sora stepped back and took Nel along with him. He felt like this was a moment they shouldn't get involved with, though seeing them together made him feel happy for them. He hopes that he and Kairi will be able to have a moment like that, when they are together again.

Ichigo and Orihime then looked on into the distance…smiling…holding hands…happy that despite the chaos and hard times they've endured, they were finally together in the end.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: In that's one battle over. I'm sorry if this wasn't entirely different but I wanted to give Ichigo a chance to shine. After all, he's the star of this story to. I also did my best to incorporate Sora in this, giving his own comments on Ichigo's battle. Meanwhile, Kairi has united with Ven and Terra, which means she is close to returning to Sora.**_

 _ **Now, let me just say that Ichigo's victory against Grimmjow was what I think one of the best moments in Bleach. And to think it's almost one year since the series ended. While I like the manga, it did have some fault. One of them being how Grimmjow completely disappeared after the whole battle. I had hoped he would've showed up to help Ichigo's friends but it didn't come to be. But I plan on changing that in this story. So, stay tuned.**_

 _ **Next Time: Grimmjow has been defeated. But more trouble awaits as Nnoitra enters the battle. Meanwhile, Aqua joins forces with a Quincy and Soul Reaper as they take on Szayelaporro. But the Eighth Espada proves to be full of surprises.**_


	15. Nel's Secret Revealed!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Here is the Fifteenth chapter of the revision. However, given that Nel is now a part of this story, I believe it's time for the Third Espada to make her return. Also, I don't own Kingdom Hearts and Bleach. If I did, then I'd be the luckiest man on Earth.**_

 _ **(Cue 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 15: "Nel's Secret Revealed! Friends Unite!"**_

After relaxing for a few minutes or so, the group finally decided to move on. "Well, we should get going everyone." Ichigo said to the others.

"Yes. You're right." Orihime agreed. She looked back at Sora and Nel. "By the way, Sora and Nel, thank you for what you told me back there. It really…help me a lot."

Sora nodded as he placed his hands behind his head. "It's no problem. I'm always happy to lend a hand."

"What do you plan on doing now?" Ichigo asked curiously. Sora narrowed his eyes, knowing he still had unfinished business left. "Now that you've reunited with Orihime, I think it's time I find the person I'm searching for." Everyone wondered what he meant until Orihime recalled what he asked her before.

"You mean your friend Kairi, correct." She asked, which Sora nodded.

"Kairi?" Ichigo repeated, confused at the unfamiliar name. "When I was searching though Aizen records, I learned that he captured Kairi and he used her to bring me here." Sora explained, much to Ichigo and Nel's shock.

"So, Aizen captured a friend of yours." Ichigo said, narrowing his eyes. "As if I needed another reason to hate that bastard."

"Zola's friend is in trouble." Nel asked.

Sora nodded. "She might be, which is why I have to find her."

"Do you know where to look?" Orihime questioned, feeling concerned for Sora and his friends.

"No clue, but I'm sure I'll find her as long as my heart is connected to her. Just like how you two found each other." He said to them as Ichigo and Orihime looked at each other, with the latter turning away, blushing, while the former remained confused.

"Well then, I hope you guys don't mind putting up with me for a while longer." Sora asked.

"You're coming with us?" Orihime asked in an excited tone.

"Really Zola?" Nel asked, happily.

The Keyblade Wielder nodded and replied. "We have a common goal right now, and that's finding our friends. It's better to work together than separately. That and we have to stop Aizen too."

"Are you sure about this?" Ichigo questioned. "I don't know much about your situation but if Aizen was the one that brought you here, then are you really sure you want to get more involved with this? Like fighting Aizen?"

"I technically became involved when Aizen brought me to this world." Sora responded. "Besides, it's not like me to leave when I know Aizen is planning to sacrifice an entire city. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He then looked seriously at Ichigo. "So, we're going with you, end of discussion."

Nel and Orihime smiled while Ichigo looked a bit hesitant until he turned serious and nodded his head. "Well I guess I can't argue with you. Alright then, try to at least keep up." Ichigo told him.

Sora nodded. "You try and do the same."

Ichigo then walked over to Orihime. "I'm also glad you're not hurt Orihime. That's good to know."

Orihime giggled and cheerfully replied. "Well you know me, I'm made of pretty tough stuff. Even when I was a kid, I never caught colds and…"

Orihime was interrupted as Ichigo abruptly threw Orihime over his shoulder.

"WHAT!? I-Ichigo!? W-what are you doing? Get me down!" Orihime cried out, looking at him, clearly embarrassed.

"Well yeah, that's what I'm trying to do. With all this rubble everywhere, it'd be much easier carrying you down then looking for a stairway." Ichigo responded, completely oblivious to Orihime's actual request. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yeah, I mean he's just trying to help." Sora said, equally oblivious.

"Well, I'm heavy." Orihime said, trying to cover her blushing face.

"Nah. Don't sweat it. You're not as heavy as you look." Ichigo commented, which suddenly caused Nel to hit him hard in the crotch.

Sora winched at that while Ichigo fell on his knees, in great pain. "What...the...hell."

"That is not how you speak to a lady. There are rules you need to stick when talking about certain topic." She scolded. "No matter what she weighs you always say she's as light as air. EVEN IF SHE'S A HIPPO."

"Please stop Nel. You're actually making me feel worse." Orihime pleaded. Sora watched the seen, making a mental note to avoid saying something similar to Kairi. He joined them in climbing down. Once the four were back on the ground, Sora looked around and so far, aside from Grimmjow's body, there were no enemies in sight.

After placing Orihime and Nel down, Ichigo sighed and said. "I gotta go. After all, someone's got to go help Chad and Rukia."

"I'm guessing those are your friends right?" Sora asked, to which they nodded.

"They were hurt pretty badly when we last sensed them. I hope they're okay" Ichigo said, worriedly.

"Don't worry. If your friends are tough then I'm sure they're alright." Sora reassured.

"How do you know?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't" The Keyblade Wielder replied. Ichigo and Orihime were confused until the latter smiled, knowing that, despite the dangers, Sora was simply believing in them. She couldn't help but wonder how he was able to do it in times like these.

Suddenly, before they could move, they heard breathing coming from behind them. Sora, Ichigo, Orihime and Nel turned around and were shocked to see Grimmjow, despite his grievously injured state, standing before them.

Sora, knowing that Grimmjow was up to something, motioned the girls to get behind him as he prepared to summon his Keyblade.

Ichigo shook off his surprised expression and narrowed his eyes. "It's Grimmjow." Ichigo muttered.

Grimmjow glared at him as he began limping over to where his enemies stood. Ichigo readied his blade though it looked like the Espada was ready to collapse at any moment. After a few more steps, his Resurrección dissipated, returning back to its sword form and him back to his original form. Grimmjow stopped as he panted heavily, his injures clearly beginning to wear him down. He glared hatefully at Ichigo.

"You can't defeat me!" Grimmjow declared. "Look at you. You're too weak! I WILL NEVER LOSE TO YOU!" Grimmjow roared in rage as he charged at Substitute Soul Reaper. Ichigo surprisingly threw his Zanpakutō aside as he grabbed Grimmjow's arm firmly.

"Just let it go Grimmjow. You've already lost. You say you're some kind a king. But just killing everyone you happen to dislike makes you a king with no subjects. What's the point in that?" Ichigo told his rival off. "If you truly hate me, I'll fight you anytime you want. But for now, you need to give up."

Grimmjow said nothing for a moment. But then he coldly looked up at Ichigo and pulled his arm away, preparing to attack. "NEVER! I'LL SHOW YOU…"

Sora had prepared to knock Grimmjow out, not wanting to see him embarrass himself any longer. However, a crescent moon-shaped blade came out of nowhere and struck Grimmjow to the side. The Sixth Espada's eyes widen in shock, but then glared at the source as he fell to the ground.

The chain connected to the blade retracted back as Sora and Ichigo turned and saw who attacked Grimmjow. Orihime's eyes widened in fear as she saw who did the deed.

"You just don't know when to call it quits." Nnoitra said with a grin. "Hurry up and die! I want them for myself."

Sora narrowed his eyes in anger. He was getting really frustrated of how Nnoitra would go as far as purposely attacking his own friends.

"What the hell…Who are you? Are you an Espada?" Ichigo questioned as Nnoitra started walking towards them, holding on to his scythe.

"I asked you a question! Answer me!" Ichigo shouted. Nnoitra ignored him, simply smiling as he continued walking.

"Nnoitra!"

Everyone turned to see Sora, who summoned his Keyblade at the approaching Espada. Said person smirked as he saw the person he wanted to kill most.

"Sora, what's happening!?" Orihime asked as Nel stood behind her.

"You know this guy?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yeah, that's Nnoitra." Sora explained. "He's the Fifth Espada and someone who doesn't play fair." Ichigo looked shocked. If that was true then that meant this Nnoitra was stronger than Grimmjow.

"Hello Sora." It was Nnoitra, smiling wickedly.

Nnoitra casted an eye at Orihime and smiled. "Sneaking out of your room? That's not very nice for a pet."

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked, getting between the two of them. Though, he already knew the answer to that.

"Didn't you hear? Lord Aizen has ordered for your death." Nnoitra smirked. "That means your fair game now."

Yep, he was correct. Sora had a feeling he would run into Nnoitra after Aizen made his announcement. He had only hoped to have dealt with Nnoitra after he found Kairi.

"And good timing too." Nnoitra went on. "I was getting bored just looking around for the intruders. That human I found didn't even put up a fight."

Human. Ichigo wondered. He could feel Uryū and Renji not too far from where she was. Rukia had been seriously injured but managed to defeat her opponent. So, that left one person…

"Chad!" He exclaimed. "You defeated him!?"

"So that was his name?" Nnoitra said, uncaring. "Found him after he kick the crap out of Gantenbainne."

"Gantenbainne was defeated?" Sora asked surprised though Ichgio and Orihime had no idea who he was.

"Yep." Nnoitra then smirked. "I thought he would've put up a good fight but I was wrong. Man, I knew Gantenbainne was weak but I didn't think he'd lose to a human!"

Nnoitra was laughing up a storm. Sora gritted his teeth, angered that he would laugh at Gantenbainne for losing. Ichigo was feeling the same that his friend lost to him. "You bastard!"

Nnoitra calmed down. "But enough talk. You two better get ready cause here I come!"

Suddenly, the three warriors heard Grimmjow stir. They looked to see the Sixth Espada glaring at Nnoitra while lying on the ground. "Nnoitra…you bastard!" Grimmjow struggled to say, feeling pain all over his body.

Nnoitra looked down at Grimmjow. "What is this? Are you still alive?" Lifting his weapon, Nnoitra went to finish him off. Ichigo had attempted to intercept Nnoitra, but was pushed back as Sora got in front of the Fifth Espada and blocked his attack, saving Grimmjow.

"That's enough Nnoitra! Leave him out of this. He can't even move!" Sora shouted, having enough of Nnoitra's attitude.

"Still playing hero aren't you!'" Nnoita laughed before pushing the spiky-haired Keyblade Wielder away with his weapon. The Fifth Espada then frowned as he turned to Grimmjow. "But seriously, Grimmjow you are a miserable sight! First you lose to that Soul Reaper, then you get saved by Sora!? Ridiculous!"

Grimmjow said nothing as he turned his head away in anger and shame.

"Sora, what the hell are you doing!?" Ichigo shouted.

"Stay out of this Ichigo!" Sora forcefully instructed. "This is between me and Nnoitra. Besides you're completely injured."

Ichigo looked down at his body and sure enough, he was all covered with injuries he received from his fight with Grimmjow. From what he could make out, Sora and this Nnoitra person had some kind of score to settle, much like him and Grimmjow did.

"Get yourself over to Orihime and Nel." Reluctantly, Ichigo nodded and made his way back. Sora looked back at the Fifth Espada. Nnoitra turned to Sora as well.

"Now! Get ready!" Suddenly, Nnoitra began releasing an intense amount of spirit energy, "Because you won't be alive much longer!" Sora's eyes widened as the Espada threw his weapon down, causing him to jump away. Nnoitra's attacked caused the ground beneath them to spit, with Sora jumping on the debris. Nnoitra appeared and attacked him again, but Sora blocked his scythe with the Keyblade. He struggled to hold on but was overpowered and fell below. He recomposed himself in time and landed on his feet. But Nnoitra didn't give him time to rest as he came down on him again, Sora blocking with his Keyblade.

"Sora!" Orihime cried

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Ichigo said as he ran over to help him. Sora was about to tell him to stay put but Nnoitra had another idea to keep him out of this fight.

"Tesla!" Nnoitra shouted.

Then, Tesla appeared in front of Ichigo and kicked him away. Then, he appeared behind Orihime, slamming her to the ground. "Sir" Tesla said.

"Ichigo! Orihime!" Sora shouted, noticing their predicament.

"What are you looking at?" Nnoitra questioned as he swung his scythe, but they ducked to avoid the attack. "Let my friends go! This is between us. Leave them out of it." Sora shouted at him.

Nnoitra laughed and said. "Instead of worrying about your little friends, you should focus more on figuring out how you're gonna survive! Especially against me."

Sora knew that Nnoitra wasn't going to go down so easily. Regardless, he had to beat him now if he wanted to save Kairi and his new friends. "Then it looks like I know what to do."

The opponents stared off for a few seconds, then they both charged with their weapons in hand. Sora and Nnoitra's weapon collided, causing a large explosion to occur.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the floor below, Szayelaporro, sporting a cape-like garment, sneered at his opponents. "Welcome back. Now then, shall we raise the curtain for Act two."

Standing before him were none other than Pesche, Dondochakka, Uryū, and a Soul Reaper with brown eyes and long crimson hair, styled in a large widow's-peak and high ponytail. His upper body was covered in tribal tattoos, covering his entire back, much of his chest, his extremities, and even much of his forehead. He wore the standard Soul Reaper outfit, with a white headband wrapped around his forehead. The Soul Reaper's name is Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of Squad 6.

While they were running, Renji couldn't help but reflect on the events that led up to this. He had been training with Chad when they learned that a group of Espada-leveled Arrancar had invaded Karakura Town once again. They wanted to help but were both too exhausted from their training, so Kisuke had to stepp into the fray. Renji and Chad were relieved to see their comrades were okay but were told the strangest story. It turns out the Arrancar had deceived a mysterious warrior into believing they were the evil ones in this war. What surprised him the most was when he learned this person was able to defeat all four of them. And yet, the mysterious person never once tried to kill them.

Then, things became worse when they found out that Orihime had gone to Hueco Mundo. The Head-Captain had labeled her a traitor but Renji refused to believe it, as were the others. He volunteered to go to Hueco Mundo and rescue her but Head-Captain Yamamoto refused. He and the rest of the reinforcements were forced to return to Soul Society. He and Rukia had planned to go back but were caught by his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki. Surprisingly, he had allowed them to go back and rescue Orihime. So, the two made it to Hueco Mundo where they reunited with Ichigo, Chad, Uryū and three strange Arrancars named Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka.

The journey however proved more dangerous than anticipated. First, they were ambushed by the sand guardian Runaganga. Then, they were separated and sent to the strange place called the Forest of Menos. With the help of a Soul Reaper named Ashido Kanō, they were able to escape, though Ashido was not so fortunate. But, they finally reached Las Noches. As they traveled through the corridor, Rukia had asked the three knew anything of a boy wielding a Key-shaped sword in Hueco Mundo. The entire group was shocked to learn that the three Arrancar did know about the warrior. According to them, it was a human who went by the name of Sora, or 'Zola' as Nel called him. They said that he was some kind of Keyblade Wielder. When they said that, Renji could've sworn he saw Uryū's eyes widened for a minute there.

Just when they made it out of the tunnel, the six had all gone in different directions, vowing to return, but Renji had been followed by Dondochakka. They had originally planned to go with Ichigo but forgot which path he took and unknowing got separated themselves. Then, after a twist of events, the two found themselves up against the Eighth Espada named Szayelaporro Granz. Renji had planned to use Bankai, but thanks to the room Szayelaporro modified, Renji was unable to use it and was left helpless against his opponent. Even with Uryū's unexpected arrival with Pesche, Szayelaporro still had the advantage.

Fortunately, Uryū said that he now had a plan against Szayelaporro. At Uryū's request, Renji wrapped himself and Szayelaporro with his Shikai, _Zabimaru_ , tying the two together and used a Hadō spell at point-blank range, injuring them both. Szayelaporro staggered into a trap laid out by Uryū and was engulfed in an explosion. As Uryū and Renji exchanged pleasantries, their victory was sort-lived when Szayelaporro emerged from the smoke and ate one of his Fracción to heal himself, stunning them. Rather than continue the fight, he had decided to leave the chamber to change clothes. Not bothering to wait for him, the four decided to run away from Szayelaporro's palace. However, they had found themselves back in the same chamber as before, with the Eighth Espada waiting for them.

Szayelaporro explained that he had anticipated their escape and had rearranged the corridors so that they would return right here.

"Then again, maybe you wouldn't say that." He said. "You probably think making you run down long corridors, then up and down extremely long stairways, only to end up back in the original room is one of the worst jokes you've ever heard." The scientist then narrowed his eyes. "But I got a much worse joke."

The Eighth Espada proceeded to take out his sword. "The fact that such lowly worms as yourselves dared to irritate me to this extent and force me to force me to release my full power to destroy you. Well, that to me is a much worse joke."

However, before he could take out his sword, they were interrupted by several explosions happening in the ceiling.

"What's going on?" Uryū asked. "Was that some kind of explosion!?"

"I don't know?" Renji admitted. "But it sounds like it's getting closer."

Pesche and Dondochakka hugged each other in fear. "Oh No! He brought reinforcements!" Pesche panicked.

He did bring up a good point. Renji and Uryū looked at the Eighth Espada.

"Is this another one of your tricks!?" Renji fiercely asked.

Szayelaporro didn't respond to him. Truth be told, this was not his doing at all. Whomever was making those explosions was not using any reiatsu on them. Could it be…

His thoughts were interrupted when the final part of the ceiling above them finally exploded. Everyone looked up to see Aqua landed daintily on her feet.

She brushed herself as she stood straight. "Not the best entrance in mind but it was all I could do."

Renji and Uryū were completely baffled seeing a girl here of all places. Szayelaporro observed this mysterious girl. So far, this girl didn't look all that amusing. But what was she. She didn't look like a Soul Reaper or Quincy. Could she have been a…?

Aqua turned to the four and noticed Renji's clothing. "Excuse me, are you a Soul Reaper by any chance?" She asked him.

Renji shook off his stupor and replied. "Yeah, I am. Now, could you mind explaining who you are?" He said seriously.

"Don't worry." Aqua assured him. "I don't know who you two are but I know why you are here. I was told that if I ran into any of you, then I should help you in anyway I can."

This only confused Renji, "What are talking abo-"

"Hold on Renji." Uryū told him. "I think she might be telling the truth. Before we left, Kisuke told us that we would be joined by 'special helpers'." Uryū informed him before looking at Aqua. "I assume you're one of them."

Aqua remembered that Kisuke Urahara was the name of the man that gave Mickey the data of the Garganta that brought them here. "I guess you can say I am." She then turned to face Szayelaporro. "By your appearance, I assume you're an Espada, the ones I've heard of."

Szayelaporro narrowed his eyes. "You would be right. Now, care to explain how a lowly human such as yourself came here."

Aqua raised her hand forward and summoned her Keyblade. It has a smooth, cylindrical, grey shaft that tapers outward at both ends and a boxy guard, made up of two small, light grey boxes and copper rod. The base of the guard connects to the grip, and both sport several small indentations lining them and a square grip. The teeth are in the shape of an "E". Its Keychain is made of several simple chain links and its token is the same as he heart-shaped sigil. This is the Master's Defender Keyblade, which was the former Keyblade of her master.

Everyone eyed the weapon with curiosity until some realized what it was.

"A Keyblade!" Uryū said.

"You mean you're one of those Keyblade Wielders we've heard about?" Renji asked.

"That's right. I guess you were filled in on us. That makes explanations shorter." Aqua said. The others certainly weren't expecting a Keyblade Wielder to join them.

"Wait, then that means you know Sora?" Pesche asked.

The blue-haired girl looked at Pesche, wondering how he could know that. "Yeah, how do you know him?"

"We met Sora a while ago." Dondochakka explained. "He came and played Eternal Tag with us, know what I'm talkin' bout?"

If they knew Sora then this mind her trip here easier. Aqua turned to face the others. "I guess I should tell you who I am. I am Keyblade Master Aqua."

The others realized introductions were in order.

"I am Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of Squad 6!" Renji said.

"Uryū Ishida, and I am a Quincy." Uryū said.

Aqua gave a small smile. "It's nice to meet you." She was suddenly interrupted by Szayelaporro's maniacal laughter. "What's so funny!?"

Szayelaporro calmed down slightly and adjusted his glasses. "Today certainly is my lucky day. First, I get a Bankai User, then a Quincy, and now a Keyblade Wielder has graciously stumbled upon my very hands. If I were Yammy, I would certainly keep screaming Suerte till my voice failed me!" He said grinning in glee.

The Keyblade Master was certainly appalled by his behavior but shook it off. "Hate to disappoint you, but I believe their is nothing lucky about this situation." Aqua told him. Then, she went into a fighting stance.

"Everyone!" Aqua ordered. "Get behind me. If he's an Espada, that makes him our enemy. I'll help you defeat him."

Renji and Uryū were confused but weren't going to reject her help. After the way he toyed with them earlier, they'll need all the help they could get.

"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Szayelaporro interjected. "I might not be much of a fighter compared to the other higher Espada, but intellectually, I am far superior." Suddenly, Aqua's Keyblade began glowing until it disappeared. Everyone looked in shock, especially Aqua. She tried to call it back but realized she couldn't.

She looked back at the scientist. "What did you do to me!?" She asked, furious.

"I had anticipated Sora's betrayal so I took elaborate measures." Szayelaporro explained. "I personally modified this room to prevent Sora or any Keyblade Wielder for that matter to be unable to summon their Keyblade. One thing he carelessly informed us of was that without your Keyblades, you might as well be normal Humans." He smirked. "The one I gave Nnoitra was a prototype. I'm glad the improvements I've made actually work."

"Now all that's left is using it on Sora." The scientist stated. "Afterwards, I look forward to experimenting on him when this was all over."

"You're disgusting, you know that." Renji said with venom.

"And it appears you need to work on your originality." Szayelaporro said without the slightest hint of remorse. "Besides, I'd like to think of myself as brilliant."

The Keyblade Master heard enough. "You won't be doing anything. I'm not going to let you hurt Sora. Not if I can stop it!"

Szayel smirked in amusement. "How do you even hope to beat me? You can't use your Keyblade, in case you've forgotten."

Aqua smirked. "Luckily, I can fight without a Keyblade."

She disappeared and the moment she did, she delivered a front kick on Szayelaporro's chest. He screamed in pain as he held his chest. The four gaped as they saw Aqua appear behind the Esapada, dealing a butterfly kick to his face, knocking him over and causing him to spit out blood.

"So fast!" Pesche exclaimed.

Aqua wasn't done yet, with amazing speed, she appeared in front of Szayelaporro again and dealt several hits into his torso. Using his sword, Szayelaporro tried to attack Aqua but she used her armored arm-guards to effortlessly blocked all his attacks while walking back. She could see why he preferred his intelligence, in a real battle he was a total amateur swordsman.

The blue-haired woman then held her arm out and an orb of light glowed from it as it fired several large orbs, striking the Espada. The attack was powerful enough to send Szayelaporro crashing straight into the wall. The jaws of the spectators dropped in disbelief. This woman managed to send the Espada flying. Compared to how he shook off their previous attacks, that was more impressive.

"Whoa! She sent Szayelaporro flying!" Pesche exclaimed.

"No one's ever done that, know what I mean!" Dondochakka said.

From the hole in the wall, Szayelaporro shakily got up as he removed his robe. And he just finished changing to. "Well, it appeared I was a bit careless." He said, trying to keep his voice even.

"It's more like you were caught off guard completely." Aqua stated, resuming her fighting stance. "You never could have anticipate that I have learned unarmed combat in situation like this!?"

Szayelaporro merely scoffed. "I admit it was a mistake on my part. But regardless rather you can fight without a Keyblade means nothing. The point of the matter is I'm still stronger than you."

"Then let's skip to the part where I prove you wrong." Aqua said. Suddenly, Uryū and Renji got on either side of her.

"Hope you don't mind us joining you Ms. Aqua." Uryū said.

"After all, we also have a score to settle with this bastard." Renji added.

The Keyblade Master nodded. "I don't mind. I wasn't planning on this being a one-on-one fight."

Szayelaporro smirked as he picked up his sword. "Well then, if your all so eager to continue, we shall skip straight to the next act." He drew his Zanpakutō. " _Sip!_ _La Lujuriosa!_ "

Szayelaporro raised his sword and shoved it into his mouth. Before everyone's eyes, his body began to swell up to enormous proportions and released pink spiritual energy, which covered his immediate vicinity in a fine mist that slowly cleared away, revealing his transformation to the others. Everyone had their own thoughts to this transformation.

" _NO!_ " Pesche thought!

" _Impossible!"_ thought Dondochakka.

" _Unbelievable._ " Uryū thought in shock.

"What is this?" Renji voiced his own thoughts.

"I don't know." Aqua replied. "But his power shot straight up."

Before them was Szayelaporro in his Resurrección form. The lower half of his body became a multitude of purple tentacles reminiscent of a sea anemone. His feet extended from under the tentacles, which were replaced by a layered dress-like garment. His upper torso became a segmented and form-fitting gray garment, with white sleeves extending from the elbow and down to a wide opening at the wrist that revealed a purple interior. Three small, dark purple extensions spanned upward from the elbow, while four long, dark purple strands that look like falling drops hung from the underside of the sleeve itself. His hands turned white, and his fingertips became slightly elongated and purple. His hair gained various purple drop-like strands as well. His Hollow mask took the form of a headdress that formed a thin band across his forehead, as well as what appears to be half the bottom structure of his Hollow mask "glasses", which was attached on either side of his head by fan-like coverings. His left eye gained purple markings that took the shape of four lines on the top and bottom. He also grew four large, gray branch structures on his back, two on each side, which formed a shape similar to the wings of a butterfly. Each branch had twelve equally-spaced red strands that resembled falling drops.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Szayelaporro said in a sickening breathless voice. Pesche and Dondochakka backed away as Renji took out his Zanpakutō as well. "Now the curtain shall rise for the long-awaited Act two." Aqua, Uryū, and Renji stood firm as Renji's Zanpakutō changed into a 6-part segmented blade; with each segment being wider than the one preceding it from the hilt, with 2 pick-like protrusions on the front and back of each segment, with the ones on the front much longer than the ones on the back.

After a moment, he said. "No, that's not right. I'm sorry, I take that back. To be more precise, it's not how Act two begins, it's how it ends."

Aqua's eyes widened when she saw strange black liquid burst out of Szayelaporro's back. The strange liquid started to fly everywhere.

"What is it!?" Renji asked.

"I have no idea!" Uryū said. Noticing the liquid getting close to them, the Quincy shouted. "Watch out!"

Aqua and the others did their best to avoid the goo. "Everyone, I don't know what it is but it can't be for anything good! Don't touch it!"

Unfortunately, Dondochakka's massive size made it difficult for him to swiftly maneuver and was hit by the liquid. Much to everyone's shock, an image of Dondochakka began popping out.

"Whoa, I think I'm popping outta my head." Dondochakka exclaimed causing Uryū to stop to look at him. A mistake on his part as the goo landed on his shoulder.

"Dammit!" Uryū cursed himself for his carelessness. Like Dondochakka, another version of him popped out. Renji accidentally stepped on the liquid and the same thing happened. Aqua realized what this goo could do. Those it touched would begin to form copies of the person it came in contact with. Knowing it would be bad if that liquid touched her, Aqua made her move. "Barrier!" She shouted, creating a barrier that surrounded herself, causing the liquid to slide off her barrier.

Pesche however, was oblivious to the truth about it and looked on to see everyone, minus Aqua had doubles. "Hey no fair! You said don't touch it but now, all of you have doubles and I don't!" Then, Pesche jumped in front of the liquid and created his own double.

Aqua blinked as she looked at him in disbelief. "Tell me…you did not just purposely jump in front of that?" She asked, stupefied.

"Yep." Pesche said in victory. "More of me to go around!" That irked Uryū as he confronted the dimwitted Arrancar. "What is the matter with you!? We weren't trying to get hit!"

"Well now you tell me!" Pesche argued. "I thought you guys were leaving me out on purpose!"

"It's because we taught the situation would imply!" Aqua scolded, while trying to maintain a level head.

"Hey!" Renji shouted back. "Would you three cut the crap!"

Still miffed, Aqua turned back and saw that there were dozens of copies of Uryū, Renji, Pesche, and Dondochakka. Szayelaporro laughed, despite being disappointed he wasn't able to get Aqua, he felt satisfied to have gotten the remaining four. "Now then, ninety-five percent of characters have assembled on stage. Let's not make the audience wait anymore."

"As you have no doubt figured out, the liquid I produced is capable of forming constructs of those it touched." The Eighth Espada told Aqua. "However, one thing you didn't know was that my copies possess the same powers and abilities as the others. Fighting haphazardly only invites death."

So, these copies possess the same powers as them. If that's the truth, Aqua made the right call not to get hit. It would be difficult fighting multiple copies of herself.

"However." Szayelaporro said. "You should all be happy. I have some deliciously good news for you." As he said that, Szayelaporro sat down on a throne behind him. "I've decided to lift the trap that seals your powers in this room."

That news surprised everyone. "Had a change of heart?" Aqua asked suspiciously.

"Just consider it a gift." The Eighth Espada responded. "And so, you can fight to your heart's content against your alter egos and kill yourselves off."

Szayelaporro laughed hysterically as the clones began surrounding their original personas. Uryū looked around as he said. "So, before we can fight our enemy, we must fight ourselves first." he surmised. "It's kind of like a Zen riddle in a way."

Uryū held his arm out, a silver cross-like pentacle dangling from his wrist. The pentacle formed a blue-energy bow designed like a spider web. Uryū grabbed it by the middle and said. "He's right about one thing, this is a bad joke."

Uryū then turned over to Aqua, who was currently fighting off several clones of himself and Renji. Having realized something, he said. "Aqua!"

Said person looked back at him. "What is it?"

"Go after Szayelaporro!" He instructed. "Out of all of us, you're the only one that hasn't been cloned. Besides, you have a better chance of facing him then any of us!"

Aqua looked back at everyone else, then at the Espada, and then the Quincy. Knowing that he was right, she nodded in compliment. "Alright! Just be careful."

The Quincy nodded before shooting down the clones in front of her, clearing a path. Aqua then charged forward, standing before the Espada.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting?" She said rhetorically. Szayelaporro frowned. He had hoped the clones would have kept her at bay while he studied her, but he knew it wouldn't be the case. No choice, the Eighth Espada got up from his throne.

"Well now, it would seem the star of this show had to make an early entrance." He said before smiling lewdly. "But you know this just might work. I'm sure both you and Sora will make a fine specimenss. Once I've broken you, I can't wait to have you all to myself."

Aqua was a little creeped out by his tone, but shook it off and summoned her Keyblade. "Sorry to disappoint you again, Szayelaporro." Aqua said with a smirk. "But I believe that I'm the star around here!"

* * *

While Aqua's battle was going on, Sora and Nnoitra were having their own showdown as well. Sora had been dishing out several strong attacks but the Fifth Espada countered with his own attacks, neither side getting so much as a hit. Sora charged straight at Nnoitra, performing a session of Sonic Blades. However, Nnoitra intercepted Sora's last attack and kick him straight in the face. Sora screamed as he was sent flying but recovered and bounced back at his opponent.

Nnoitra grabbed the chain began throwing his Zanpakutō at Sora in repeated sessions. Sora did his best to avoid them and noticed how it decimated a large rock formation behind him. Nnoitra then shot up and sent him flying to a large rubble. The Keyblade Wielder quickly recovered and used the large rock to propel himself and return to the fight. He swung his Keyblade vertically and tried to cut Nnoitra, but the Fifth Espada jumped high up in the area to avoid the attack.

Seeing the spiky-haired boy below him, Nnoitra then fired a yellow Cero at him. Sora thought to avoid it, but notice the impact would hurt Ichigo and Orihime. Instead, he casted a Reflega spell that absorbed the attack and threw it right back at Nnoitra, where he was hit point blank. However, he fought Nnoitra enough to know he wouldn't be dealt with an attack that easily. He was proven right when Nnoitra appeared behind Sora who turned to attack him, but the Espada paired his attack and slashed Sora's torso.

Sora was again sent flying but use his feet to stop his movement. He charged once more, however, Sora could see that this time Nnoitra was more aggressive as he kept attacking him without stopping and even Sora was finding it difficult to keep up with his attacks. He could break Sora's guard and hit him several times. However, the final attack Sora managed to block. The two struggled to break each other's guard were evenly matched in strength.

As they struggled, Nnoitra couldn't help but realize something.

"You're holding back." He voiced his thought. Sora said nothing, glaring at him. "Why aren't you using your full power?"

Sora ignored him as he dealt a downward slash. Nnoitra was able to avoid it by a hair.

Nnoitra scoffed until he glanced at the weakened Ichigo and the restrained Orihime. An assumption came to mind.

"I get it." Nnoitra said. "Your holding back because you're scared that they'll get caught in the crossfire."

Sora narrowed his eyes. That was all Nnoitra needed to know.

Nnoitra then began laughing. "You're pathetic! I figured you out. You're the kind of guy that'll back off if it looks like a hostage will get hurt. In battle, you fight to win. If someone gets hurt it's their fault!"

"You're wrong!" Sora said. "They have nothing to do with it."

"Then fight me for real!" Nnoitra shouted. "Use that full power of yours!"

"I don't need it to take on a punk like you!" Sora retorted. He went for a forward thrust but Nnoitra grabbed the blade with his hands. His eyes widening, Nnoitra smirked as he punched Sora across his face.

* * *

While that was happening, Ichigo struggled to get on his feet. He could see Sora duking it out with that Nnoitra character. Before he could go and help, he was interrupted by Orihime's scream. Turning around, the Substitute Soul Reaper saw that she was being restrained by Tesla.

"Orihime!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the Fracción. "I'll only say this once, let her go!" He ordered.

Tesla remained impassive. "Sorry, but I must abide by the wishes of Master Nnoitra and Lord Aizen."

Ichigo gritted his teeth. He didn't have time for this. He needed to get Orihime free now. Ichigo raised his head to summon his mask but was interrupted by Tesla. "I recommend you don't make any reckless actions." He said, before moving on. "We have observed your battle with Grimmjow. We know all of your techniques, such as your Hollow mask."

"However." Tesla continued. "In the current state you are in, you wouldn't have enough spirit energy to summon one, let alone continue to fight. Even I am more than capable of defeating you in your condition."

Ichigo readied his sword. He had to admit that he was right. He was still injured from his last battle and in his condition, he wasn't sure how long he'll last. However, that doesn't mean he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Before anyone could make a move, the battle between Sora and Nnoitra was already intensifying.

"SORA!" Ichigo shouted.

"It has begun." Tesla stated as he looked on to the battle. Meanwhile, everyone was focused on the fight that they didn't noticed Nel hiding behind the rubble. She had her hands on her head as her eyes widened and body trembled. It was as if she was recalling a painful memory.

* * *

Back with the battle, Sora didn't want to admit it but Nnoitra was right. His Synch Blade ability and Formchanges were powerful but were also a little too severe. If he used it without control, it could cause great damage to him and to others around him. Not to mention, it could lead to _that_ transformation. He didn't want to put Ichigo, Orihime, and Nel in that position. So, he had to think of something to slow Nnoitra down.

Nnoitra smirked, readying his weapon. After a moment of silence, Sora went in for a frontal attack. Nnoitra however, made no effort to dodge. "Too slow." The Fifth Espada shot his Zanpakutō forward. But Sora reacted in time to dodge it, much to his surprise. He then went to strike Nnoitra in the face.

Smirking mischievously, Nnoitra instead grabbed the Keyblade with his hands, much to Sora's shock. "Such a nice sword. But, it's a real shame that it only looks sharp. I shouldn't have bothered dodging it." Nnoitra said before head-butting Sora. The Keyblade Wielder flew back while holding his face, which was hurting but not enough to deal him out.

As he caught his breath, Sora decided to resort to magic attacks. " _Firaza!_ " He shouted, blasting a large torrent of flame at the Espade. Nnoitra saw this and held his arms to block the flames.

An explosion occurred on contact. Sora could see the smoke coming from the area. While relieved at first, his instincts soon kicked in when he saw Nnoitra's Zanpakutō flying towards him.

Sora barely dodged at attack on time before turning to see Nnoitra walking out of the smoke. While his arms were glowing in heat, he was practically unharmed.

"I told you before. Nothing can break this body." Nnoitra then charged a Cero, launching it at Sora. He narrowly dodged a Cero attack aimed for him and turned to see the Fifth Espada walking towards him. Sora quickly readied himself for another round.

"Alright, I'm getting bored. If you won't use your full power, then I'll make you." Nnoitra casted an eye over at Ichigo and Orihime. "And I think I know how."

Sora's eyes widened. He wasn't…

"Let's see how'll you react when those two are cut to shreds!" Nnoitra declared.

"That's enough!" Sora said, getting into his fighting stance. "It wasn't enough for you to attack an injured person, but now you'll even people who have nothing to do with this fight!"

"Shut your mouth!" Nnoitra said. "Who cares if they're injured or defenseless! This is a battle. It's supposed to be unfair." Nnoitra said. "A battle is a monster from which inequality and intolerance are born. A battle forms in stages; first, hatred develops. Then, hell is unleashed. For various reasons, what makes an enemy. And at that moment, everything pulses towards a battle."

Sora listened intently as Nnoitra went on. "You think you can come wandering into your enemies' backyard? Cause a ruckus with all that…fighting. And expect to sneak out without being noticed!?"

"Now then, THINK FAST!" Without warning, He fired a Cero, not at him but where the others were. Tesla began loosening his grip to ready himself to avoid. Ichigo tried to use Flash Step to save Orihime, but soon fell as his fatigue was starting to take affect. However, just before the Cero could strike them, Sora appeared and summoned his Starlight, swatting the Cero away.

The Substitute Soul Reaper and his friend looked in awe to see Sora having summoned to Keyblade.

"You can use two of those weapons?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Sora never told me about that before." Orihime said.

Sora looked but and smiled reassuringly at them before he stood forward to face Nnoitra, looking determined. "Fine. You wanted to see my full power, I'll show you!"

Nnoitra sneered. "Now you're getting serious."

The two had a stare down for a moment before Sora raised his Keyblades high. " _ **Formchange: Strike Form!**_ " Suddenly, he clothes glowed and were now a darker shade of red with an urban camouflage design. Also, both his Keyblades merged together and became a large spear. " _ **High Wind!**_ "

"What!" Tesla gaped in awe. Ichigo and Orihime felt the same. This was the first time they have all seen the Formchange power. It may almost be as powerful as a Soul Reaper's Bankai or an Arrancar's Ressurección.

Nnoitra had sensed the large amount of power emanating from Sora but surprisingly, remained calm. Sora wondered why. Was he confident that he could fight him in this form? Did he have a way to beat him?

Rather than ask questions, Sora decided to take action. He charged straight at the Fifth Espada with impressive speed. The Esapda however, remained standing, grinning, and had his free hand behind his back. Suddenly, just when the Keyblade Wielder was a foot away from Nnoitra, the most unexpected thing happened.

 _Flash_

Sora stopped mid-air as his clothes returned to normal. Looking at both hands, he saw that his Keyblades were gone. Shocked, Sora held his hands forward and tried to summon his weapon, but no matter what he did, it wouldn't appear.

" _What's going on?"_ Sora thought. _"Why can't I…?"_

Sora's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Nnoitra laugh. He took his hand out, revealing a detonator he had on him. "Surprised, aren't you?"

Sora's eyes widen as he came to a realization. "You!" He pointed a finger in accusation. "You did this, didn't you!?"

"C'mon, Sora. Let's not point fingers at people." Nnoitra jokingly said.

"What did you do to me!?" Sora demanded.

Nnoitra scoffed. "If you want to know, let's just say I came prepared."

* * *

(Flashback)

Nnoitra was in the medical chambers of Las Noches, recuperating from his second battle with Sora. The medics informed him that he only sustained cracked bones and heavy bruises around his entire body. His Zanpakutō however was damage and had to be taken away for repairs. Several bandages were wrapped around his body, while his right arm was in a sling. The Fifth Espada had to walk around in a limp as he felt a twinge of pain with passing steps. And with each pain he felt, he would come to hate Sora more and more.

Nnoitra hated that Starrk, Halibel and the pathetic Gantenbainne interfered with his fight with Sora. If he had his way, he would have killed Sora now, but he knew that if he did, he would be punished by Aizen. Plus, with Starrk and Halibel holding his hands, Sora was pretty much untouchable.

" _But you won't be valuable to Lord Aizen forever."_ Nnoitra thought. _"Once he no longer has any use for you, I'll be there."_

" _I do hope you're following the doctor's orders and taking it easy?_ " A voice said from behind.

Nnoitra snarled at that annoying voice. He turned around to see Szayelaporro entering the room, smiling at him.

" _What the hell do you want, Szayelaporro?_ " He asked the scientist.

" _Lord Aizen ordered me to repair your Zanpakutō._ " Szayelaporro replied pleasantly. " _When I heard you were at the medic, I just had to come and see how my old comrade was doing._ "

" _We may be Espada!_ " Nnoitra told him. " _But we were **never** comrades!_ "

" _What a pity._ " Szayelaporro sighed. " _And we made such a great team back in the day._ "

Nnoitra ignored him.

" _After all, it was because of my help that you were finally able to defeat **her**._ " The Eighth Esapda pointed out.

Nnoitra gnashed his teeth in annoyance. " _If that's all you came to say then get out!_ "

Szayelaporro huffed. " _So, discourteous. And here I was about to offer my assistance._ "

" _Like what!?_ " Nnoitra spat

" _It comes with defeating Sora._ " The Eight Espada said.

The scientist then slowly began walking away purposely as if he was waiting for something. Nnoitra tilt his head to look at Szayelaporro in mild surprise and much interest.

" _Go on._ " He said.

Szayelaporro nodded as his smile widened. Nnoitra had taken the bait. " _We have seen that the Keyblade makes Sora a formidable opponent. If his memories were to return, I surmise he would be almost on par with the top four Espada._ "

A mischievous smile appeared on his face. " _However, that is all done through the Keyblade's power. Without it, he might as well be a normal human._ "

For once, Nnoitra's sneer was back on his face. " _Well, well, well._ " He said. He recalled the spar Sora had with Tōsen a few weeks ago. Specially, what he revealed that day. " _That makes things very interesting._ "

" _He made a mistake revealing to us his weakness._ " Szayelaporro said. " _Something I'm surprised you never thought of exploiting during your last scuffle._ "

" _There's no point if he could just call it back._ " Nnoitra admitted. " _Disarming him was completely useless._ "

" _Then perhaps you need a way to make sure he doesn't summon it again._ " The Eighth Esapda said.

Nnoitra raised an eyebrow. " _What do you mean?_ "

" _Let's just say, while I've been working on my latest creation for Lord Aizen, I made a little **side** project of my own._ " Szayelaporro said.

" _And what is that?_ " He asked curiously.

" _Call it a precaution, in the likelihood that Sora does turn against us._ " Nnoitra grinned as Szayelaporro went on with his proposal.

* * *

(Flashback ends)

Nnoitra finished his explanation as he sneered. "You're pretty helpless without your little Keyblade aren't you, Sora?"

Sora said nothing, merely looking up at Nnoitra in anger. "Szayelaporro! What did he make!?"

"He had a hunch that you would end up betraying us. So, using your DNA, he made a special field that completely cuts off your magic energy." Nnoitra's grin widened as he pointed at Sora. "In other words, you can't summon your Keyblade!"

Sora's eyes widened in horror. He looked at his hands and realized he couldn't feel any magic energy at all. He hated to admit it but it appeared Nnoitra was right, this field did prevent him from summoning his Keyblade.

Sora looked mad. Mad at himself. How could he have been stupid. He should have known Szayelaporro would have done something like this. And he just walk right into it.

"Meaning I can do this!" Nnoitra suddenly appeared in front of Sora. Before he could react, Nnoitra smacked Sora away into a nearby column. A loud explosion occurred as the column was completely destroyed.

"SORA NO!" Orihime shouted while Ichigo gnashed his teeth in frustration. The Fifth Espada calmly walked over to the crash site, where Sora was seen lying on the floor.

"Wow, looks like you dulled down a lot." Nnoitra commented as Sora gritted his teeth in pain. If he was in his usual condition, he would've dodged that, or not appeared to be so hurt. As he struggled to get up, Nnoitra raised his foot and kicked him in the gut. Sora spat up bile as he was sent flying toward the rubble, crashing hard.

Sora got up and, despite the pain he felt, ran straight toward Nnoitra. This time, he slammed his fist on the Espada stomach. However, to his surprised, blood came out. But it wasn't Nnoitra's blood.

Sora screamed as he clutched his bloody knuckles. It felt like he punched a wall of steel.

"Did you really think you could hurt me with that puny hand of yours?" Nnoitra asked as he slammed his fist across Sora's face. Sora spat out blood, but Nnoitra wasn't done yet as dealt another punch and then he proceeded to pummel Sora.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to do this!" Nnoitra laughed as he began to give Sora the beating of his life. Having seen enough, Ichigo stood up fully.

"That's enough!" Ichigo stammered as he raised his sword. "Let him go you bastard!" Ichigo used Flash Step to appear in front of Nnoitra, only for the Espada to kick him straight to the rubble.

"Wait your turn Soul Reaper!" Nnoitra said.

"Ichigo!" Sora cried as Ichigo shakily tried to get up. Meanwhile, from behind her hiding spot, Nel watched in horror at the beating Sora was enduring and Ichigo being sent flying.

"No…Zola, Ichigo." Nel thought weakly. First Ichigo got hurt, now Sora. Nel didn't want Sora to get hurt but knew she stood no chance against the Fifth Espada. What should she do? What could she do?

Before Nel could make a decision, her hiding spot was suddenly blow to bits. She screamed as she was sent flying out of the rubble, landing hard on the sand.

Picking herself up, Nel weakly turned to see Tesla glaring at her, his pupil glowing red.

"I had wondered where you had run off to." Tesla had been focusing on the fight that he failed to realize that the tiny Arrancar he noticed that was with Sora, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Orihime Inoue was missing. He detected a small spiritual pressure from behind the boulder she was behind. Rather, than going over there, he destroyed it by firing a Cero from his eye. It was a technique called _"Cero Córnea"._

Before Nel could say something, Sora was sent flying above her, landing beside Ichigo. Her eyes widened in horror but before she could go over to him, another problem occurred.

Nnoitra had moved to attack Sora but instead turned his attention to Nel, who was lying down in the sand in front of him and trembling terribly.

He continued to examine her. Something about this kid's appearance felt familiar. Then an image came to mind. "You there! Are you Nel?"

Nel didn't answer as she was still shaking in fear. Sora and Ichigo shakily got up as he noticed Nnoitra confronting Nel.

Nel turned to face him. Seeing her cracked mask and scar, Nnoitra smirked as if he confirmed something about her. "I thought it was you. That scar gives you away. Boy, you really let yourself become all shabby, uh?"

"Tell me, does your mask throb after it's been cracked?" He asked as he walked over to her.

Sora and Ichigo saw Nel was trembling in fear. They also saw the way Nnoitra was looking at her. And the way he spoke was too casual for a first encounter "What's going on you bastard?" Ichigo asked.

"How do you know who Nel is!?" Sora asked angrily.

Nnoitra looked at the two unenthusiastically. He could say nothing but there was another question that came to mind.

"Tell me, what possible reason would you have for coming back?" He asked Nel before focusing on Sora. "Where you the one who brought her here Sora?"

"No!" Sora responded. "I didn't bring her here. I found her laying in the sands before you should up."

"Really." Nnoitra said before turning to Ichigo. "Then I'm guessing it was you." He then decided to ask another question. "Alright then. Tell me this. Did you meet her at any point before today?"

Sora's eyes widened and that was all the answer Nnoitra needed. "Don't bother. I can tell from your expression that's a yes."

Nnoitra smirked. "Funny you've both been dragging her around without ever knowing what she is."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, wanting to know more. "What do you mean?"

Nnotira chuckled. "Well, if you don't know I'll tell you. You only know her as Nel but her full name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck." Nel began whimpering as she clutched her mask and look down. Nnoitra looked at he with his peripherals. "She's a…former Espada."

Sora, Ichigo, and Orihime's eyes widened in surprised at this revelation. Nel was an Espada?

"She was...an Espada?" Orihime asked, just as confused as the others.

Nnotira saw their reactions. "Surprised huh?" He mockingly asked. "So, all this time you thought she was a helpless orphan. Such ignorance. You've all been tricked by that witch. It's an absolute fact, she's one of the Espadas." Nnoitra looked at the cowering Nel. "That right, Nelliel?"

Nel struggled getting up but found the words to say. "It's a lie. Nel could never be an Espada. It's…impossible."

"Oh?" Nnoitra responded. "Stop all this joking around and tell the truth. Don't tell me you've completely forgotten you past?"

" _Past?"_ Sora thought he remembered Pesche once told him that Nel's fractured mask was way she couldn't remember anything. He said that this all happened when she was attacked by an Arrancar. Sora's eyes widened as another thought came to mind. Nnoitra had asked about that scar and cracked masked. And he seemed familiar with her. Why would he be like that? Unless…

"Nel knows it." Nel said looking at the Espada. "Nel knows all her past. Nel could never forget. Nel could never be an Espada."

Nnoitra didn't look convinced. "You know I haven't seen you in quiet awhile but it seems you're as devious as ever."

"Who Nel?" She said confused.

"You've got them all tricked into believing you actually need help." Nnoitra frowned. "You've used Sora to protect from those Hollows. And then you've used those intruders to bring you this deep into Las Noches."

"Nel didn't trick anybody honest." She said, whimpering. "Not Nel."

"So why did you come back here?" The Fifth Espada asked. "You must have a reason. Did you come here looking like you do to finally settle things between us?"

Nel got up and looked at him. "No. Nel doesn't have a purpose. Everything's been…it's all been fun for Nel until now." She said as tears formed in her eyes. "Really, Nel remembers it all as fun?" Nel began recalling the times she spent with Sora. To when she met him, to all the times they've played. Then she remembered meeting Ichigo and his friends, following them to Las Noches, and the times she's spent with Ichigo. "Nel still wanted to be with Sora, Ichigo, and everyone else to." Nel said, already starting to cry. "It's just that Nel didn't want to say goodbye to them."

Sora looked at her in surprise. She called him Sora. Throughout the times they were together, she had only called him Zola.

"Don't cry Nel." Orihime said.

Nnoitra however looked annoyed. "Quit with your heartfelt story. This little kid thing you're trying isn't working. I've blown your cover. Your lying is over."

Nel looked at Sora and Ichigo who had said nothing during the conversation. "Nel never lied to you. Never." She said. "Sora, Ichigo please believe Nel. Nel would never lied to you. Please~"

"Your blathering is so irritating!" Nnoitra raised his foot up as Nel looked up at him, frozen in fear. "I've heard enough." He brought his foot down, preparing to crush Nel. Suddenly, Ichigo appeared between them, swatting his foot away with his forearm while Sora wrapped his arms around Nel.

Nel looked at both of them. "Sora? Ichigo?"

Without turning, the two smirked. "Of course you didn't." Ichigo declared.

"There's no way you'd ever lie to us, Nel." Sora stated.

Nel eyes filled with tears, happy the two precious people to her believed in her.

Sora turned to her, smiling warmly. "Don't cry Nel. Me, Ichigo, and Orihime trust you. I don't know whether you were an Espada or not. But that doesn't matter." Sora glared directly at Nnoitra as he put Nel down.

"What matters is that we believe in the Nel that's here." Ichigo followed as he stood up, getting ready to fight. "You here me!? We've had to listen to your nonsense and I've got some news for you. I won't let you touch her."

"Try to attack my friends and see what happens." Sora warned, even though he couldn't use his Keyblade, he wasn't going down without a fight. Ichigo felt the same.

Nnoitra scoffed as he kicked Sora across the face, where he spat out more blood as he tumbled across the sand and landed on the rubble.

"Sora!" Ichigo and Nel cried.

"Don't make me laugh." Ichigo saw Nnoitra bringing down his Zanpakutō but blocked it was Zangetsu. However, his strength proved too much and pushed Ichigo across the sand.

" _It's sure heavy!"_ Ichigo thought as he struggle to push him back.

"Just what makes you think you can stop me? You can't, Soul Reaper!" Nnoitra mocked but then, shockingly, Sora jumped behind his head and held him in a neck hold.

"Try saying that about me!" Sora then used the rocks he picked up to hit him on his head several times. More annoyed then hurt, he grabbed Sora and threw him on Ichigo, sending them both flying.

As Nel watched them get sent back, she froze when she saw that Nnoitra was looking down at her again.

"Perhaps you really have lost your memory of the old days." Nnoitra said. "I mean it's possible. After all, I did split your head pretty well back then. Maybe you couldn't avoid losing your memory after that."

" _Split her head."_ Sora repeated in his head. There was no doubting it now. The Keyblade Wielder scowled at Nnoitra. "Tell…me…something, Nnoitra." Sora said weakly.

Nnoitra frowned as he looked at Sora. "What?" he asked.

"You called Nel a former Espada!" Sora pointed out. "And you said you cracked her mask!"

At this, Nnoitra's face lit up gleefully. "That's right. You couldn't have known since she doesn't remember anything."

"Huh, what are you talking about?" A confused Ichigo asked, not knowing what was happening.

Nnoitra looked over at Nel, who was cowering away from him. He sneered at her. "You see, back in the day, she used to be an Espada ranked higher than me. Having a woman that was a high ranking Espada really pissed me off. So, every chance I got, I would challenge her but she always defeated me." He said that last part bitterly.

Sora smirked at that. Even though he still doubted this whole story.

"Then, I was finally able to beat her." Nnoitra bragged. "Hate to admit it but Szayelaporro did something good for once."

Sora snapped his head at Nnoitra. "Szayelaporro? He was in on it?" Ichigo didn't know who he was, but assumed he was another Espada.

Nnoitra laughed. "That's right!" He mocked. Then, he proceeded to grab Nel by the mask and hold her high up. "That crack you see on her mask. I'm the one that did it to her. I'm the one who cracked her skull."

Both fighters were struggling to contain the rage they were feeling. So, it was him. He did that to Nel. If he wasn't like this now, Sora would make him and Szayelaporro pay.

"I'll deal with her later." Nnoitra said as he threw Nel aside, turning his attention back to Sora. "Right after I deal with you. You not only hurt me but also humiliated me. Making me the biggest laughing stock even among the Espada. Some people were saying how weak I've become! No one dared to say that about me until you came along!"

Nnoitra raised his leg high and kicked Sora right under the jaw. He screamed as he was sent high in the air and landed a few feet away.

"SORA!" Ichigo yelled. Before he could run after him, Nnoita appeared behind him. "You should be more worried about yourself." He grabbed Ichigo and slammed him hard on the ground.

"Oh no! Sora! Ichigo!" Orihime cried.

"Stop it!" Nel cried as she began thrashing around. "Leave them alone!"

"You've always annoyed me." He stated.

"Let her go!" Sora ordered from the ground.

"Shut up!" Nnoitra snapped, repeatedly stomping his foot on Sora's back. "You never should have messed with me to begin with! Cause now, you're gonna pay!"

The act caused Ichigo to jumped high in the air, ready to bring his sword down. Only for Nnoitra to swap him away with his Zanpakutō, sending crashing hard in the ground. Sora glared at Nnoitra as he had his foot down on him. "You coward." He spat at him. "If you needed Szayelaporro's help to beat Nel and me, then that proves you don't have the guts to fight fair cause you're afraid you'll lose again."

Nnoitra's response was a kick to the gut. Sora yelled in pain and fell to the ground, holding his stomach. Nel and Orihime began crying more for their friends, seeing both of them all tattered and bruised.

Nnoitra had to grudgingly admit that he was impressed. Despite Sora's abilities being reduced to that of a normal human's, he had been able to withstand all his blows. Then there was that Soul Reaper who continued to fight despite his condition.

He resumed slamming his foot into Sora's stomach over and over again. Despite being in pain, Sora was too angry to care about that right now. He was going to find a way out of here. And he was going to make Nnoitra pay for hurting Nel.

Nnoitra realized that Sora wasn't reacting to any of his blows. Sora was simply looking at him with anger filled in his eyes.

" _This is ridiculous!"_ Nnoitra practically roared in his own mind. _"No matter how many times I keep hitting him, this little bastard won't go down!"_

Nnoitra stopped as he flipped Sora over with his foot. Said person began breathing heavily as he held his stomach. With a humph, he kicked Sora hard enough to send him flying next to Ichigo "You're both really stubborn, especially you Sora. I'll give you that much." Nnoitra said.

Seeing them slowly getting up, the Fifth Espada asked, "What the hell are your stories. Neither of you can beat me. Why don't none of you understand that?"

"It doesn't matter to us whether we beat you or not." Ichigo stated.

"Really?" He said.

"What matters is we're gonna protect Nel." Sora told him as he struggled getting up. "And I'll make you pay for hurting her."

The Fifth Espada smirked. "Then you both have chosen to die." They both prepared to counterattack only Nnoitra proved to fast and kicked both of them away.

From where she was, Orihime screamed. "Please stop this now!"

"It's over." Tesla stated. "After that hit, Sora and your Soul Reaper friend won't be moving much anymore."

His deed done, Nnoitra turned back to Nel. "Sorry I kept you waiting Nel. Now it's your turn." The young Arrancar whimpered in fear.

"Wait a second." The Espada stopped in his tracks as Sora and Ichigo stood up. "This fight isn't finished yet."

"You won't be going near her. Not on our watch!" Sora declared.

"Such persistent." The battle between Keyblade Wielder, Soul Reaper, and the Espada resumed once more. The two friends charged at Nnoitra, unfortunately it was clear that their injuries had taken a toll on both of them. Nnoitra barely made any effort in blocking their attacks and continued beating on both of them at the same time. Sora tried to hit him once more but the Espada punched him hard across the face, sending him flying. Ichigo took the chance to strike him with Zangetsu, but Nnoitra slammed the shaft of his axe on him.

Nel remained where she stood, seeing Ichigo crashed hard on the sand, taking deep breaths in angst. She wanted to help but was to petrified with fear to move a muscle. She knew save had to help her dear friends but could she do.

"You're lucky you're still alive." However, he turned and saw Sora using his arms to get back again. Nnoitra looked bored as he walked over and grabbed Sora's left arm. "Y'know." He said. "I really hate bastards who keep on attack even though they can't win."

"Sora." Nel whimpered.

"It's time I end this." He went on to dislocate Sora's left arm.

"Ahhhhhh!" Sora screamed in pain.

"NNNOOOOOO!" Nel had enough and with a shout.

"BOOM!"

Nnoitra turned in shock at the large puff of smoke that came from where Nel was. Then he, Tesla, and Orihime sensed an immense spirit energy from the area of the smoke. Nnoitra remained on edge. He recognized the spirit energy. But...it couldn't be-

Sora and Ichigo looked at the smoke and as it died down, they could see a tall figure standing from within. When it finally cleared, the two looked on in shock at the person.

"What the!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Nel?" Ichigo asked, baffled.

Sure enough, it was Nel. Only it seemed she had become a fully-grown adult with long waving greenish-blue hair. Her figure had become more curvaceous and well-endowed, though she retained similar features to her child form, such as her scar and the crimson line that runs across her face, but her bottom canines aren't quite as pronounced. Her gown was now torn into a skirt and a top, connected with a single strip across her abdomen. Her skull mask also appears sharper with a pair of curved horns, but still missing some of its teeth.

"Is that...Nel?" Orihime asked while Tesla looked just as shocked to see the former Espada return. Nnoitra held his guard up as Nel started to make her way towards him.

"So, Nel. You've reverted to your old form have you?" He asked. However, before anyone could do anything, another surprising turn of events happened.

" _Flower Shoot!_ " Nnoitra turned and found himself struck with a magic blast. He shouted as the force caused him to drop Sora. That was the opening Nel needed and, with blinding speed from her Sonido, grabbed Sora and Ichigo, taking them away from Nnoitra.

When Nnoitra recovered, he looked angered at the person who hit him. But the question is who?

"Leave my friend alone." Everyone turned and seeing the person caused Sora's eyes to shrink.

It was Kairi.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aizen was sitting on his throne, musing over recent events. First, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends successfully invaded Las Noches and dealt with the Privaron Espada. Then, Aaroniero was the first to die. Afterwards, Sora had discovered his real plans and betrayed him. When Aizen had plan to use the machine on him he was saved by the untimely arrival of Kalgara, thus putting a hinder to his plans. Now, he sensed that Sora had met up with Ichigo Kurosaki and battling Nnoitra. However, another strange occurrence happened.

"This is quite a predicament; wouldn't you say Captain Aizen?" Gin asked, walking over to him.

"How is that?" Aizen asked, despite appearing amused.

"Well for one thing, it seems that Sora has almost gotten himself killed." Gin said with a grin. "Aren't you at all mad at Nnoitra for doing something like that."

Aizen shook his head. "No. As a matter of fact, I'm not the least bit angered. If I can't have subordinates who are obedient, then I have no use for him.

Aizen's smug grin then increased. "Besides, why bother with one when I have a handful of Keyblade Wielders to choose from."

"Oh." Gin said. "I was starting to think you haven't notice."

"It was the purpose I brought her to Hueco Mundo. Now that she's free, she will do an excellent job with helping Sora and leading the other Keyblade Wielders." Aizen admitted.

"What are you going to do with them?" Gin couldn't help but asking.

"I'll leave it to the Espada." Aizen said. "I can already sense them nearing their locations."

"And Sora's situation?"

Aizen closed his eyes for moment before saying, "I'm afraid I cannot do anything at the moment. Either he meets his fate or he survives. If he is fortunate enough to defeat my Espada then no question he will go to Karakura Town. I shall look forward to seeing how much he and Ichigo Kurosaki have grown."

Aizen then looked over at Gin. "Now then, gather Starrk, Baraggan, and Halibel at the meeting room. I wish to over our battle strategy."

Gin nodded. "As you wish."

* * *

Back in the battlefield, the heroes and Arrancar remained silent as they stared at Kairi who, to their shock, wielded her Keyblade.

"That girl...she's can use a Keyblade." Ichigo asked while Nel eyed her, wondering who she was. Nnoitra was the same.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted. "Is that really you!?" Ichigo, Orihime, and Nel turned to Sora, hearing what he said. She was that Kairi girl he was looking for? The one Aizen brought to Hueco Mundo?

Kairi turned and smiled sweetly at her dear friend. "It is me Sora. I'm glad we made it in time."

"We?" Nnoitra asked.

"That's right." Tesla's eye widened as he was punched across the face by an armored fist, sending him crashing in the rubble. As Orihime fell, she was soon caught by another figure.

"TESLA!" The Espada shouted before returning his gaze at the new arrivals. "Who that hell are you two?"

"Terra! Ven!" Sora cried happily, seeing Terra in a post-punch stance and Ven carrying Orihime in his arms.

"Friends of yours." Ichigo surmised, which Sora nodded. Ichigo didn't know who they are, but if they helped Orihime, then he figured they were alright. Kairi looked at Sora closely and saw two people she didn't know. She then gasped when she saw his condition, along with the orange-haired boy. "Sora, hold on!" She said, running to him.

Seeing Sora's state as well, Terra turned to Ven as he put Orihime down. "Ven, get that girl to safety. I'll check on Sora's injuries." Ven nodded as Terra ran off. He then looked at the baffled Orihime. "Don't worry. You can trust us. We won't hurt you." Orihime still looked confused, but decided to trust him. "Okay." With that, he grabbed her arm and led her away. Terra and Kairi then joined up with Sora and the others, with Nel placing Sora and Ichigo down. Kairi continued to look at Sora with worry. Sora also looked at her before remembering something. "Kairi...did you know that-"

"Yes!" Kairi said, knowing what Sora was going to say. "I suppose you also know what's been happening to me."

Sora knew what Kairi was talking about. He then looked down shamefully. "I'm sorr-"

"Don't." Kairi said, raising her hand.

"But, I-"

"It wasn't your fault." Kairi assured. "You didn't know what was going on. I don't blame you for what happened to me. Besides, it couldn't have been help with what happened to you."

"But I made the choice to trust Aizen." Sora confessed, regretfully. "If I didn't let myself get used like that-"

"I've been there myself." Terra added, walking over to them. "I know what it's like, being used as a pawn for someone with dark ambitions, even an unwilling one." He said with sympathy before his expression turned serious. "I don't know much of what happened but what I do know is that instead of focusing on past mistakes, you should instead learn from them and move forward."

Sora listened to Terra's advise and remember Kalgara said something like that to him. "You're friends are right." Ichigo said. "Besides, you've helped us all out up to this point."

"And now you can keep your promise, and protect your friends." Nel said.

After hearing all his friends comfort him, Sora nodded and regained his determination. "I do have a lot to say, but now we need to see this through." Sora then looked at Kairi. "Also...I'm glad to see you again Kairi. And I'm so happy your safe."

Kairi blushed before smiling. "I'm glad your here too, Sora." Ichigo smiled at their reunion, remembering how he felt about finding Orihime and glad Sora found the person who means most to him. The red-haired girl looked at him and finally decided to know the two new people with her friend. "By the way, you never introduced us."

"Oh yeah." Sora decided to introduce his friends. "Kairi, I like you to meet Ichigo." The Soul Reaper said his hello, which Kairi returned. "The girl with Ven is Orihime." Sora then looked to Nel, remembering what Nnoitra called her before. "And she is Nelliel Tu O-do-swan-"

"You can still call me Nel if you want." Nel said, giggling at Sora's attempt to pronounce her name. Due to the new arrivals, Ichigo nearly forgotten what happened to Nel. "Now that we're back to it. Are you really the same Nel?" Ichigo asked Nel.

"I am. Thanks to both of you, Ichigo and Sora." Nel assured. "Thanks to you two, I was able to return to my old self again."

Terra and Kairi looked confused. The former asked, "Old self? What does she mean?"

"It's a long story?" Sora said, still finding the matter complicated. He then looked at Nel. "But still...I don't think we did much for you."

"But you did." Nel said, remembering her times with them. "When I was in my smaller form, you two always made the choice to protect me. And then you, Ichigo, brought me all the way here with you." She then turned to Nnoitra, who merely stood there, glaring. Nel knew that before a proper reunion could be made, they would have to deal with him first. "Excuse me, Kairi and Terra was it." The two looked at Nel, who stood up and grabbed her sword. "Please, look after Sora and Ichigo for me?" She requested as she stepped forward. "This time, I will protect all of you."

The injured duo looked shocked at what Nel had declared. "Wait Nel, by protect you don't mean..." Sora however, already knew the answer.

Ichigo however, didn't like the conclusion. "Don't stand there and tell us that you're planning to fight this guy?!"

"He's right." Terra said, walking over to her. "I can tell he's someone who's going to be difficult to defeat."

"Don't be worried." She assured to her friends, old and new. "It will be over. Before you know it." Suddenly, the wind blew her hair back, which revealed a large "3" tattooed on her back. This greatly shocked Sora and Ichigo. Nel was the Third Espada.

Without a word, Nel dashed forward, ready to pull her sword. Nnoitra raised his Zanpakutō, however, before he can react, Nel already slashed him across the chest, surprising him. "You witch!" He tried to slash her, but she blocked it with her sword, using the momentum to flip over. When she was high enough, she delivered a powerful kick to Nnoitra's face, sending him flying several meters. He regained his balance and planted his feet on the sand, sliding across the surface. With a sadistic grin, he used Sonido to appear high above Nel, planning to slam his Zanpakutō on her. To his surprise, Nel merely blocked the attack and sent him flying once more.

Ven and Orihime looked in awe at the display. "She's really good." Ven said, feeling impressed.

"Wow. She's fast." Orihime said, surprised that Nel had this kind of power. Frustrated, Nnoitra got up and tried to strike Nel with his Zanpakutō several times, only for Nel to swiftly dodge them all while walking back. She soon found her back up against a wall. Nowhere to run, Nnoitra grinned as he brought his axe down. However, Nel used Sonido and dodge as the wall was split in half. Looking up, Nnoitra saw Nel high in the air, positioning her sword forward as she dived down towards him.

"Not a chance." Nnoitra used Sonido as Nel's attack decimated the split wall, creating a large dust cloud. Nnoitra looked from within the dust cloud, trying to find where Nel was hiding. "Over here!" The Fifth Espada gasped as Nel appeared and punch him hard in the face, sending him crashing through the rubble. Sora, Ichigo, Terra, and Kairi watched the battle in awe.

"Is that the...real Nel?" Ichigo asked, amazed that the kid Arrancar he once knew was holding her own against the Espada that gave them so much trouble. Sora was feeling the same way.

"She was this strong, all along?" Sora said. After recovering from the blow, Nnoitra got up as he looked at the person he hated so much. Finally fed up, he fired a Cero at her. "It's a Cero! Dodge Nel!" Sora warned. However, to their surprise, Nel simply placed her hand up and, shockingly, stopped the cero blast entirely, much to Nnoitra's surprise. To everyone's further surprise, Nel began sucking the entire Cero blast into her mouth until she swallowed it whole. She then proceeded to fire a larger, pink colored Cero him, causing a large explosion that engulfed Nnoitra and the area.

Everyone braced themselves from the intensity of the force until it finally subsided. For a while, no one had much to say. They were all in shock and awe at the power the just witnessed from Nel. Tesla, who recovered from Terra's punch, saw what happened and looked fearful of the result.

"MASTER NNOITRA!" He yelled, running over to his master's aid, passing by Ven and Orihime. Ignoring him, Ven looked to the orange-haired girl, signaling her to follow him.

Back with the others, Sora and Ichigo were left speechless at the outcome of Nel's attack. Kairi and Terra were feeling the same, despite having just met her.

"That attack. I didn't know she was this powerful." Kairi said softly.

"I don't know who she is but I'm glad she's on our side." Terra admitted. Ven and Orihime then caught up with the others.

"Guys! Are you okay?" Ven asked as the two stopped by them.

"We're fine. But Sora and Ichigo need more help than us." Kairi said, looking at Sora and Ichigo's injured state. Orihime also noticed and stepped forward. "Don't worry. I'll heal both of them."

"You can do that?" Terra asked, not knowing Orihime's true powers. She merely nodded as she looked at the two injured friends. "I'll have you two heal...in a...second." She trailed off as everyone looked over to where Nel stood, her back turned from them. She turned and faced them, giving them an intense glare that made her look like a different person. Sora wondered if she truly was the same Nel he knew. Or was the kind, fun loving, caring, childish Arrancar he came to view as a little sister truly gone?

He got his answer when Nel's eyes soften up. In fact, they were a lot like the eyes Nel gave in her child form.

"SORA! ICHIGO!" Nel cheered as she ran over and wrapped her arm around both of them, giving them bone-breaking hugs, causing them to scream in pain. Orihime and Kairi looked flustered while Ven and Terra looked at them with pity. Sora and Ichigo meanwhile, felt their spines were going to break in half.

"How great! I'm so relieved you're both alright." She gleefully said as she continued squeezing them tightly, to their discomfort. The girls snapped out of their stupor and decided to intervene.

"Hey, wait a minute Nel. I mean Ms. Nel. You're crushing them!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Their eyes have rolled back and that's not good!" Kairi complained.

"They're right! You're gonna kill them!" Ven shouted as Nel stopped and noticed that both boys have already gone limp. "AHHH! DON'T DIE!" Nel begged, holding on to them even tighter, the boys wailing in agony even more.

"YOU'RE MAKING IT WORSE!" Both girls and Ven screamed. Terra however, pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. Now wasn't the time for this.

 _"We better end this fast if we want to bring them back with their bones intact."_ Terra mentally said as he walked to stop them. Only to sense a raising power. Nel sensed it to and stopped her actions. Just in time to see Tesla hurtle past them, smashing into some debris. From where he crashed, Nnoitra emerges from the rubble, his bodied burned, but otherwise unscathed by the attack.

"How is he still moving!? That attack should have at least damaged him!" Ven exclaimed, while Nel looked shocked. She had also hoped Nnoitra would have been unconscious from that attack. Nnoitra however, just looked at his Fracción in disgust.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You should be more concerned with getting that girl back from those pest." He said as Tesla sat from where he was.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry." He apologized as Nnoitra gazed at them, noticing their reactions, especially Nel's. "What is it. I thought this was going to be over quickly but I guess not huh Nelliel." The Espada gave a smug grin as he went on. "After all you hit me with the Cero that you absorbed combined with one of your own. I can see in your eyes you're asking yourself why am I still alive. It totally slipped my mind, Cero Doble, being a specialty of yours. I should have played it more carefully but there is something you've forgotten as well."

Smirking, Nnoitra stated. "Many years have gone by since you've disappeared from this place my dear. Don't tell me that you're under the impression that the Espada's rankings are the same after all this time has passed!?" He rhetorically asked. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. Years ago, that attack would have knock him out or killed him if she wanted to. Plus after being out of combat for many years, Nel hated to admit it but she had gone rusty.

Terra also noticed her expression and was able to read the situation accurately. Knowing she wasn't in the right condition Terra stepped forward. "The rest of you stay here. I'll take him on." Terra said, summoning his Ends of Earth Keyblade.

"Your gonna fight him yourself?" Sora cried out. "But Terra..."

"I know. I have a feeling he might be even more dangerous than anyone we've faced." Terra said. "But we have to beat him if we want to move on and find the others." The elder Keyblade Wielder faced Nel. "I know your strong but you need to save your strength for when the actual battle begins. I realize that we're going to be facing more people powerful than him. When that comes then you need to be ready."

Nel knew that he spoke the truth. With Ulquiorra returning in a few hours, she knew they would have to fight him again. Plus, there was also Starrk and Baraggan remaining, and _her._ "You're right. I figured it would be hard on me so soon after returning to this form. I should save my strength for the actual battle." She then looked at Terra and asked, "Can you defeat him?"

"I don't plan on losing." Terra said. Nnoitra smirked as he held his axe, eager to fight another Keyblade Wielder. "So you wanna fight to huh Keyblade Wielder? Fine, if you want to die that badly, go ahead then!"

Terra narrowed his eyes as he looked at him with ire after what he did to Sora. "Trust me. You're gonna regret what you did." Both opponents gazed off once more before Terra let out a roar and, with immense speed, appeared before the Espada, both Keyblade and Zanpakutō colliding, releasing a surge of energy.

 _To Be Continued..._

 ** _A/N: Before you say anything, I just wanted to say that I was gonna have Nel fight, however, I decided to save her power for when the actual battle begins. However, a little spoiler, but I do plan for Nel to join in the battle against Ulquiorra and the Fake Karakura Town battles. I'm sure you all know who I plan to have her fight there._**

 ** _As for Aqua, from her fight against Ansem the Seeker of Darkness, it showed that she has proficiency in hand-to-hand combat abilities. Which is what she used against Szayelaporro, who has no unarmed combat experience. I also decided to split this chapter in half, since there was a lot for me to cover. T_** ** _he next chapter will focus more on the Keyblade Wielder battles against the Arrancars._**

 ** _Next time: Terra begins his dual against Nnoitra, however the Fifth Espada proves more difficult to beat than he thought. Meanwhile, Kairi shows her resolve against her battle with Tesla. Please review and no flaming in my response board._**


	16. Keyblade Wielders vs Espada!

**Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War**

 **A/N: Here is the Sixteenth chapter of this revised fanfic. It's like the one from the original but it will show more of Aqua, Terra, and Kairi aganist their opponents. I own nothing.**

 **(Cue 2nd Opening)**

 **Ep. 16: "Keyblade Wielders vs Espada! Las Noches' Battle Royale"**

While the others were battling their opponents, Aqua was continuing her battle with the Eighth Espada. Throughout the battle, the occupants detect an increase in spiritual energy. Aqua sensed that it was coming from the same area where she felt the pressure from Ichigo and Grimmjow's battle. As the battle continued, Dondochakka stated that they needed to look for Nel, who she learned was their little sister. Uryū told him that they would after this, but he explained that it had to be now, worried of what would happen if she gets any deeper into Las Noches. Suddenly, they all sensed the new spiritual power, though Renji stated it wasn't Ichigo's. Pesche and Dondochakka however, said that it's nostalgic. While Renji and Uryū what they meant be it, Aqua however, noticed an unease look on Szayelaporro's face.

The battle then continued, as Szayelaporro shot his tentacles straight forward. While surprised at first, Aqua cartwheeled out of the way, dodging the tentacle effortlessly. Aqua performed this several more times to avoid all those tentacles. Aqua then saw the tentacles receding back to their user. Taking advantage of this, Aqua pointed her Keyblade forward.

" _Waterza!_ " Aqua shouted as she fired a water spell straight at Szayelaporro, dowsing him in water. As the Eight Espada cough out some of the water, Aqua then preformed a thunder spell. " _Thunderza!_ " Thunder plus water, made a terrible combination for him as it increased to voltage of the attack.

The Espada yelled in pain as the electricity surged throughout his body. Regaining his composure, Szayelaporro used his tentacle to wrap around Aqua's foot. Caught off guard, Aqua found herself lifted up in the air, much to his delight. He swung the tentacle around causing her to scream from the dizziness. Then, he sent her crashing straight into the wall.

"Aqua!" Uryū shouted.

Szayelaporro grinned at his work. "Where's all that talk about defeating me you had?"

Aqua groaned as she sat up from the wall, rubbing her head. "I let my guard down." She muttered. "Won't make that mistake again."

As she got up, Szayelaporro shot his tentacles at her again. Aqua quickly deflected the first one but found herself facing three more of those. For everyone she deflected, they would just keep coming back. The Eighth Espada then gathered all his tentacles together and began sending them together in a rapid barrage, similar to punches. Aqua raised her Keyblade to block all those attacks.

Knowing she couldn't keep this up, Aqua created a barrier to repel the attack. Seeing his tentacle wide apart, leaving him open, Aqua charged straight at him. When she was close enough, she dealt three short thrusts at Szayelaporro's chest, provoking him to raise his guard up. Although the first three thrusts didn't deal much damage, the Espada saw that Aqua ended her combo with orbs sent flying at him, exploding on contact.

Aqua wasn't finished yet. She raised her Keyblade, which began glowing.

 _ **"Shotlock Max: Prism Rain!"**_ Aqua fired a salvo of rainbow-colored orbs at Szayelaporro, striking him hard. She then fired three additional salvos, with the force being powerful enough to send him crashing to the wall. Szayelaporro felt himself bubbling in anger for ending up in the same manner she was in before. Getting desperate, he motioned for several of the clones to come closer.

Suddenly, Aqua saw that several Uryū, Renji, Pesche, and Donochakka clones standing between here and Szayelaporro.

"Looks like I have you outnumbered." The Espada said. "Everyone, focus all your attention on her."

"What the hell are you…" Renji tried to go help her but was intercepted by more clones. Aqua however, gave her opponent a stern look.

"So, you realize you can't win in a one-on-one fight and decided to hide behind your own pawns." She chastised. "Your nothing but a coward!"

Szayelaporro's eyes narrowed. "I like to think of myself as overly prepared."

"Then get ready. **_Formchange: Spellweaver!_** " Suddenly, Aqua was began radiating immense light, which caused her to hover the Keyblade in midair. Now ready, Aqua then sprinted forward, charging at her opponents at tremendous speed. With her Keyblade hovering, Aqua rapidly struck all the clones that got in her way, her magic attacks also gaining in increase in power. With a dozen clones left, Aqua ended her combo with a magical spinning attack, creating a vortex that destroyed all the clones.

Completely stunned that the clones were defeat, Szayelaporro gathered his tentacles to shield himself from her attack. Big mistake as Aqua used her Keyblade to create an ice crystal and shattered it, freezing his tentacles in place. As Szayelaporro was trying to break his tentacles free, Aqua saw that the others were having a bit of trouble with the clones. Upon closer inspection, she noticed something. Every attack the originals were doing, the clones did the same. This made her realize that the clones imitate whatever their original persona does.

She also saw that these clones were incredibly fragile. Every time they were attacked, they turn into the goop they were before. That would have been fine, had she not seen that the ooze then produced more of clones.

Knowing they needed help, Aqua hurriedly rushed over to them, just in time to see Dondochakka try to attack Renji.

"Look out Renji! I'll get that guy for you!" He said as Renji barely dodged the karate chop he then, splitting the ground.

Renji immediately shot a glare at said Arrancar. "You idiot! Isn't it obvious that I'm the real Renji!"

"I'm sorry Renji. All you Soul Reapers look alike to me." Dondochakka apologized.

"If you seem to be confused of whom your attacking, then I suggest that you don't attack at all, understand!" Renji berated him.

"Don't worry Dondochakka! I've got him." Just then, Pesche appeared and kicked Renji hard in the back.

As Renji fell to the ground, Aqua walked over. "Um, Pesche, I think you just attack the _real_ Renji."

"Uh, I did." Pesche said, realizing his mistake. "Huh, Sorry."

Renji however, was greatly annoyed. "You did that on purpose!"

While they were distracted, two more of that ooze landed on Pesche, creating six more clones. "Look at all these handsome guys!" Pesche exclaimed. "I don't remember multiplying. Two more and we have a baseball team."

Renji, who just about blew up, repeatedly slammed his foot on the Arrancar. "YOU. ARE. SO. STUPID!"

Aqua however, just looked at the spectacle as she slapped her forehead. Never in her life has she had to deal with people like them. Even Donald and Goofy weren't this childish. "Are they always like this?" She asked Uryū, who just showed up.

"Unfortunately, yes." Uryū sighed, before putting a stop to this. "If you guys are through, I figured out something important."

The others were still going at it while Aqua gave her attention to Uryū. "That's great. What did you find out?"

"I discovered the difference between the clones and myself and…" Aqua closed her eyes in annoyance as Pesche and Renji's roughhousing was interrupting Uryū's explanation. Finally, she had it and walked over to them, grabbing both Renji and Pesche shoulders, causing them to freeze as they looked at her.

They suddenly yelped as a steaming aura enveloped her body and her eyes were narrowed and shadowed. "Knock it off!" Aqua simply said, though the tone of her voice scared the two to submission. This calmed them down as she turned towards Uryū. "You were saying?"

The Quincy nodded his head in gratitude before resuming. "First, Renji's clones and mine, we're the hardest to tell apart because, other than our eyes, there's only a slight disparity in our hair. Very difficult to distinguish."

Aqua took a look at the clones and noticed that Uryū was right. Their hairstyles were slightly off compared to the original.

"Next," He resumed. "Dondochakka's clone. His duplicates have no spots on their backs. Very easy to distinguish." True enough, Aqua saw spots on the real Dondochakka's back while his clones' backs were completely black.

"How dare you call them spots. Those are my polka dot shaped beauty marks." Dondochakka abruptly said, crying comedically.

"That's not the real issue right now." Aqua said, sweat dropping.

"And last but not least, Pesche's clones." Uryū began concluding. "This one's a no brainer. I'm sure you all noticed it by now the obvious difference."

Aqua didn't even need to hear from Uryū what that difference was. She had long since noticed the difference between those two. The real Pesche wore a loincloth while the other Pesches…

"Pesche's clones all wear pants!" Uryū revealed.

"WWWHHHHHAAAAATTTT!" Renji, Pesche, and Dondochakka cried in shock, having just realized that. They turned to see that all of Pesche's clones had purple pants on.

Aqua and Uryū sweat dropped at this. "You three really did not see that difference?" Said an irritated Aqua.

"Just what have you all been looking at this whole time?" Asked an equally annoyed Uryū.

Nevertheless, Renji smirked at this discovery. "This is going to be an enormous advantage for our side. Guess our opponent is a lot more stupid than we originally suspected."

"You're calling him stupid while you couldn't even figure out that a clone was wearing pants or not." Uryū cut in.

"Trust me I'm not stupid." Szayelaporro, having freed his tentacles from the ice, corrected, narrowing his eyes at the group.

Everyone gasped as they turned to the Espada, standing before them. "You were eavesdropping on us!" Cried Aqua.

"That loincloth as well as those awful spots simply do not appeal to my superior sense of fashion." Szayelaporro explained. "My versions are much more tasteful."

"Clones are supposed to be duplicates. So, your stupid for removing the spots and loincloth, stupid." Renji argued.

Dondochakka then got in between them, crying once more. "I already told you, they're not spots! They're polka dot shaped beauty marks!"

Aqua noticed a Renji clone about to attack, so she quickly destroyed it with her Keyblade.

"I think we should focue less on worrying about their appearance and more on getting rid of them." Aqua said. "Just remembered what Uryū said; his and Renji's clones have those marks on their eyes and distorted hair, Pesche's wear pants, and Dondochakka's spot…I mean polka dots are gone."

"Polka dot shaped beauty marks." Dondochakka corrected.

Just then, the Renji clone that Aqua destroyed produced more of the same clone from the ooze that was left scattered. Pretty soon, Aqua found herself surrounded by all of them.

"Roar! _Zabimaru_!" They all shouted as they activated their Shikai, sending them straight at Aqua.

"They've got her surrounded!" Cried Dondochakka.

"Poor Aqua's done for!" Whimpered Pesche.

Aqua however, used raised her Keyblade high. _**"** Ghost Drive! **"**_ Spikes of energy surrounded Aqua as she rose high and warped around her targets striking them from every angle, at which point the energy was released as a powerful shockwave.

With her targets destroyed, Aqua then appeared beside Uryū and Renji.

"Uryū, Aqua, it's a losing battle trying to fight this many of ourselves at one time." Renji stated.

"He's right." Aqua agreed. "And the more of them we destroy, the more they just come back. And they're so many of them now, Szayelaporro would just use them to prevent me from getting near him."

"Then we better get out of here!" Renji advised.

"Only one problem, there is no way out of here." Uryū informed.

Renji then however, thought of something. From what he noticed, the clones mimicked every attack they made. So maybe, he can use that to his advantage. "Maybe, or maybe not." He said. "I've got an idea."

"Bankai!" Renji shouted as he started releasing red spirt energy. Then, his Zanpakutō transformed into a massive version of its Shikai form, resembling a skeleton of a snake. Zabimaru gained many more, much larger segments, resembling a mix between a snake's vertebral column and the pick-like protrusions of his Shikai segments. It also gained a snake-like head about the size of a small car. Renji's attire also slightly transformed, gaining a fur cowl around his neck. The cowl appeared to be the fur of an ape, and the ape's skull was seen over Renji's left shoulder, while the rest of the fur extended to cover his right arm. " _Hihio Zabimaru!"_

"No, you can't use something like that in here you idiot." Uryū warned.

Aqua looked confused, by the transformation and the warning. It wasn't until she realized the amount of Renji clones in the area. Suddenly, she recalled that they imitate the actions of their counterparts.

"Wait a minute…don't tell me." Aqua said, before noticing the other Renji's shouting Bankai, following Renji's actions.

* * *

From an outside point of view, Szayelaporro's palace exploded, sending the whole building crashing from within itself.

From the piles of rubble, Renji was the only one seen standing, smirking in triumph. "Just as I suspected. I had a feeling that they were copying my moves. Copies see, copies do."

"So, I tested them with my Bankai and tricked them into blowing the roof of this place." Renji explained. Right behind him, Uryū removed a piece of the large rubble from on top of him, panting in exhaustion. Aqua was on the other side, having casted a barrier to protect herself.

"You two are still alive huh." Renji looked back at them. "Glad to see you two are still alive to see my genius work, right."

"What you did was beyond reckless." She berated. "Did you ever stop to think that we could have died!?"

"Hey, that was all I could think of! Besides, you guys said we needed a way out, right?!" Renji argued.

"We didn't mean for you to bring the whole house on top of us!" Uryū said, agreeing with Aqua. "I'm telling you Renji, sometimes you and Ichigo are so much alike, it's scary!"

"He's also starting to remind me of Sora." Aqua said, getting up.

"Ha, stop teasing." Renji said, trying to act cool. "By lumping me in with Ichigo and those other two, it's almost as if you two aren't complimenting me."

"THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE NOT!" They both shouted. "YOU'RE BEING INSULTED!"

Renji's expression then turned serious. "All right, back to business. How many of these clones are left?"

Aqua looked around and saw some that survived the collapse. However, their numbers had drastically reduced.

"There aren't that many as before." Aqua said. "We should be able to handle them. By the way, where are those other two." She asked, not having seen Pesche or Dondochakka.

"Don't know." The red-haired lieutenant replied. "Dondochakka and Pesche should be fine. Those two are pretty tough. The problem is Szayelaporro." He said in dread.

Aqua nodded as she stepped forward. "Your right. We should be on the look out, since he might try something from beneath the rubble."

As soon as she said that, the area around them was beginning to tremble. Everyone tried to maintain their balance, but then their eyes widened when a ball-like object emerged from the pile of rubble not too far from them.

"Tsk, tsk." The ball soon opened, revealing Szayelaporro, having survived the collapse with no visible injury. He had used his wing-like appendages to form that ball around him, which was known as " _Telon Balon"._

"Look what you did to my palace. How will I ever explain this to Lord Aizen." Szayelaporro said, looking at the group with an irritated expression. "I am very displeased."

Then, with a snap of his finger, all the remaining clones suddenly exploded, much to everyone's shock and confusion.

"The clones!" Uryū said.

"Let's end this." Szayelaporro said as he sat back on his throne. "I see no reason to continue. This battle is really beginning to bore me."

The others glared at the Espada as Aqua stepped forward. "Then how about we skip to the part where I de-throne you."

The Eighth Espada chuckled as he got up from his throne. "Please forgive me but I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you." He said before grinning menacingly. "It's time I show you the true of La Lujuriosa."

Before he could, he turned and noticed a Renji clone that had survived. "Oh, I beg your pardon. It seems that you didn't hear me earlier."

Snapping his finger, the final clone exploded, much to their discomfort.

"Damn. Even if those guys were just a bunch of duplicates, it still doesn't feel good to watch yourself explode, that's for sure." Renji stated.

"Now." Szayelaporro began. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I think it's time I showed you the true power of La Lujuriosa. I hope you appreciate it."

Rather than wait, Aqua and Uryū both divided, intending to take the Espada down before he could have an advantage.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness. You're very considerate." Uryū said.

"But we have no interest in you or whatever show your putting on." Aqua stated.

Summoning their weapons, Uryū said. "We're gonna interrupt your performance."

"Sabotage your little play." Aqua added, pointing her Keyblade forward.

"And bring down the curtains." Renji concluded.

Altogether, Uryū fired several arrows, Aqua casted _Blizzaza_ , and Renji sent out Hihio Zabimaru. All three attacks prepared to strike the Espada. Szayelaporro made no move. As soon as their attacks came in range, his throne suddenly arose, revealing two monsters who blocked the attack.

The trio were caught by surprise at this revelation. "Sorry but the performance is going on as scheduled." Szayelaporro stated. "You've already got your tickets and unfortunately there are no refunds." He then hardened his expression. "So, I suggest you set back and enjoy the show."

Szayelaporro shot two of his tentacles in opposite direction. Aqua was confused at first until she realized too late that they were aimed for her and Uryū. Both of them could do nothing as they were engulfed by the tentacles.

"Uryū! Aqua!" Renji yelled. Uryū was the closet to him, so he immediately ran towards him, planning to free him from whatever plan he had. He sent Zabimaru to destroy it but the cage he was in proved to durable for his Bankai to break through.

Szayelaporro smiled in glee, having caught both of them. However, his happiness was short-lived when he felt a huge chill coursing through his body. He looked to see the cage that had Aqua trapped was being encased in ice. The Espada tried to bear it but she responded by increasing the density of the cold. Unable to take much more, Szayelaporro freed her.

Aqua fell to the floor, looking at herself in disgust, feeling like she was upchucked. "That was disgusting." She groaned, getting up.

The other tentacle cage that had Uryū rose up, immediately spitting him out. Uryū fell face down on the floor.

While Szayelaporro was disappointed he couldn't get Aqua, he was nonetheless satisfied with having captured Uryū. He chuckled at his work. "Such a delicious meal."

Aqua was about to ask what he had done, only to see one of the strands of his "wings" become engorged with purple liquid. That strand then burst open, creating a small doll-like object that greatly resembled Uryū.

"What!" Renji said, confused.

"A…doll?" Aqua said, just as clueless as him.

Suddenly, they turned to see Uryū struggling to get up. "Uryū!" Renji called as he and Aqua rushed over to his side. "Uryū! Uryū! Snap out of it." Renji said. "Are you gonna be alright!? Hey, you okay!?"

"Take it easy." Aqua told Renji. "He looks a little fatigue. Don't yell so loudly." She scolded him before kneeling towards the Quincy. "Tell us, are you okay?" she asked gently.

"I think so." Uryū replied. "That attack must have drained some of my strength."

"Yoo-hoo" Szayelaporro called out, dangling the Uryū doll in his hand. "Check out my new toy."

The trio looked unimpressed.

"An Uryū doll, really?" Renji said, dryly.

"Okay, what's it for?" Uryū asked, with mild curiosity.

"Never pictured you as the type to play with dolls." Aqua said.

"It's no ordinary doll." Szayelaporro said before explaining. "This doll has many uses. Far too many to explain. But basically, it's here to replace you."

The Quincy listened intently as the Espada continued. "I'd like to thank you for being such a good Uryū all this time. However, your role as Uryū is now over. Now on, he is Uryū."

"What do you mean?" Uryū asked.

Rather than give a verbal response, Szayelaporro flipped the hair of the doll. Just after he did that, Uryū felt his own hair flip as well.

"You see." Szayelaporro said, seeing Uryū expression. "You did feel that didn't you? You still look confused. Maybe I should clarify and explain a little bit further. To put it simply, think of this as a joystick that controls your five senses."

"In other words-" Szayelaporro then flicked the dolls forehead. Uryū then found himself staggering back. Aqua saw a thin line of blood dripping from his forehead.

"Uryū!" Renji shouted.

"That doll." Aqua said. "Whatever happens to the doll also effects the person it originated from."

"Smart girl." The Eighth Espada lightly praised. "Which means you also know that I hold your friend's life in my hands."

Aqua snarled at Szayelaporro. She wanted to attack him but feared if she tried something reckless, then she might end up hurting Uryū. She had to find a way to get that doll away from Szayelaporro. Now!

"Now, now, little girl." The Espada said. "I recommend you don't make any reckless actions." He then grabbed the doll from head to toe. "Observe."

Before Aqua could do anything, Szayelaporro grabbed the doll and prepared to pull it apart. Despite Renji's pleas, the Espada yanked the upper half right off. Horrified, Aqua and Renji quickly looked at Uryū. But to their surprise (and relief) nothing seemed to happen to him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to cause a panic or anything." Szayelaporro told them. "This doll is made to simply come apart like this, nothing more. I can see why you thought you were going to be torn apart" He laughed.

As Aqua glared at his twisted sense of humor, she noticed the inside of the doll. It was fill with tiny colorful pebbles. What were they for?

"Anyways, check these out." Szayelaporro gestured to the pebbles. "All these little bits and pieces are actually body parts."

"Body parts? What are your trying to say?" said an annoyed Aqua.

"Nice and colorful aren't they." Szayelaporro said as he put his fingers on them. "Like collecting shells or marbles in a jar. In my opinion, this is the most fun of playing with the doll. Your brain power is limited, so I'll just show you rather than taking more time to explain."

Aqua saw that Szayelaporro pulled out a red pebble and noticed the word "Estomago" inscribed on it. She didn't know what that word meant, but from how it looked, Aqua saw it was shaped like a stomach. Looking back, Szayelaporro did explain that those pebbles represented body parts. And whatever happened to the doll happens to…

Aqua's eyes widened, having figured out his trick. "Szayelaporro stop!"

Smiling evilly, Szayelaporro smashed it. Uryū suddenly yelled in pain as blood started to shoot out of his mouth.

"Uryū!" Renji shouted in concern. Uryū was clutching the area of his stomach in pain.

"So, that's his trick." Aqua surmised. "Since those marbles represent the user's body parts, if they get destroyed then so does the original."

Renji was absolutely livid. He picked up his Bankai and charged straight at Szayelaporro. "I'll get you for that!"

"Renji, don't! You'll fall for his trap!" Aqua tried to warn.

"Don't make such a fuss." Szayelaporro said in annoyance. "All I did was destroy a vital, internal organ." He then shot his tentacle at him.

"Renji look out!" Aqua rushed to his aid but was too late as Renji was engulfed by the tentacle. "Renji!" Aqua shouted. She turned to see Uryū lying down on the ground. Seeing that he was no help now and with Renji soon to be out, that left one option.

"My, my, my, some people get upset so easily." Szayelaporro said to Renji, holding his own forehead. "All I did was threaten you a little bit. I think you should be more mature about the whole experience. I guess that's asking too much of you."

"Humans and Soul Reapers act just like children sometimes." He said. "Quincy and Keyblade Wielders fall into that category as well. It's actually quite vulgar." Then, the appendage spat Renji out, causing him to fall to the ground.

Aqua rush to his side. Then she shot daggers at the Espada. "That's it! I won't let you hurt anymore of my friends!"

She rushed over to him, but he raised his hand in halt. "Nah, uh, uh. I recommend you stay right there." He said, before his expression darkened. "Don't make another step. Don't make a single sound."

Just then, a Renji doll appeared in his hand. Aqua saw him carrying both Uryū and Renji dolls in his hands.

"I suggest you follow my orders." Szayelaporro told Aqua. "If you don't, there's a high chance that I will crush these organs before you could even reach me."

Aqua gasped before her expression turned to anger. She hated to admit it but she was in a tight spot. If she tried something, he'd end up crushing both Uryū and Renji.

"It seems that I'm holding the cards." Szayelaporro said. "In manner of speaking." Just then, one of his large monster suddenly came and punched Aqua, sending her flying and landing hard on the rubble.

"Aqua!" Shouted Renji. Before he could help her, Szayelaporro flicked the doll in the chest, causing Renji to fall back.

"What a predictable Human response." Szayelaporro said. "They only feel they could win if all their loved ones are safe. But when they're not, become helpless. In fact, everything about your pathetic kind suggest extreme vulgarity."

Szayelaporro saw Aqua slowly getting up. "Lord Aizen should just destroy you for that alone." He said before laughing manically.

* * *

Back with Terra, he and Nnoitra had begun their showdown as well, both opponents dealing powerful blow after blow. Nnoitra could see that, compared to Sora, Terra was more of a brute force fighter, dealing strong physical attacks with his heavyweight Keyblade. He should have realized that if he sent an Arrancar flying with a punch and not being hurt by it's Hierro. Regardless, he was still another weakling in his eyes and he was more than willing to prove it by killing him.

As it stood now, the two appeared to be evenly matched. Something like that frustrated Nnoitra. Much like Grimmjow, he wasn't the one to accept that a human could be better than him. It was one of the reasons why he hated Sora most of all.

Nnoitra swung his axe but Terra jumped high to dodge it, leaping down from the air, Terra slammed his Keyblade down but Nnoitra jumped back. However, when his Keyblade struck the ground, large boulders came out of the ground and struck Nnoitra hard. This was Terra's techinque _"Geo Impact!"_ and while the attack hurt him, it didn't leave much of a mark.

Terra narrowed his eyes. "The Geo Impact should have done some damage. Guess I need to move to the next level." He concentrated as his body began emitting a bronze aura. " _Critical Impact!_ " The aura around Terra grew larger until it was released, much to Nnoitra's shock and grinned with pleasure.

Nnoitra threw his axe at Terra, but he dodged it. The Fifth Espada repeated this attack several times and the elder Keyblade Wielder's new power was quick enough to avoided the attacks successfully. He then swung his Zanpakutō but Terra jumped over the attack and, using the top part as a springboard, he jumped higher to reach to do a horizontal slash at Nnoitra, but dodged it in time. The two opponents charged forward and began fighting a battle of swords. Strike after strike the two opponents kept blocking every attack. Terra's attacks grew stronger, as his strikes released sparks when it clashed with Nnoitra's Zanpakutō. Nnoitra even found Terra's strength increasing by the minute. Whatever this form did, it was enough for him to keep up with him. The Keyblade Wielder them jumped in the air and slammed his Keyblade into the ground, generating a small explosion that pushed the Espada back.

As sand flew around the area, Nnoitra glared at Terra, who returned back to normal. "Your moves are impressive." He admitted. "First time fighting against a long-range weapon."

"I've had experience." Terra simply stated, remembering having dealt with a long-ranged sniper like Braig.

Nnoitra smirked. "Is that so!" Then, using the hilt of his axe, he made to strike Terra in the back but the brown-haired man blocked it without turning. Then, with a burst of energy, Terra swung his Keyblade, dealing a ferocious multi-hit combo that left petals of darkness within its wake. This was Terra's _"Ars Solum!"_ technique, which struck Nnoitra's body, however, Terra saw that the attack only scratched a part of Nnoitra's clothes. Other than that, he was still alright.

"Gotta admit, I kind of felt that one." Nnoitra said, wiping his shoulder. "But, is that all you got?"

Terra narrowed his eyes as he observed Nnoitra. " _Somethings wrong. That attack should have left a mark. But like with Nel, none of my attacks are leaving a single scratch on him. It's like his body is made of iron."_

"Lemme guess, you're thinking 'I've been fighting him for a while but there's no scratch on him?'" Nnoitra stated. "Is that right?"

The Keyblade Wielder said nothing, but that was all Nnoitra needed to know. "Guess you didn't hear, but we Arrancar possess an ability call Hierro, it's kinda like an iron skin." The Fifth Espada then smirked as he went on. "And out of all the Espada, mine's the most powerful."

Nnoitra then held his weapon out again. "You can try all you want, but you'll never be able to hurt me."

To his surprise, Terra smirked. "If there's one thing I learned, is that everyone has a weakness. Your skin may be impenetrable but not indestructible. Let's see how many hits it's going to take."

* * *

As Terra and Nnoitra were battling, the others remained where they were, watching the battle that was ensuring. Nel remained close to Ichigo and Sora, since they were the most injured and needed healing. As the battle went on, Ichigo looked over at Nel, asking. "Hey Nel, do you think Terra has a chance of beating Nnoitra."

Nel's expression was pensive and concerned. "I'm not sure. Terra seems to be a strong fighter. However, I've known Nnoitra the longest and he is willing to go to length to assure his dominance over others. His bloodlust and pride, combine with his Hierro, makes him a dangerous opponent. If Terra is not careful, then he will lose more then the battle."

Sora heard the grimness of Nel's words and looked with concerned, as were everyone else. Instead for one person.

"Don't worry. Terra will be fine." The others looked at Ven, who had his arms crossed with a determined expression. "Just watch, he's going to win this battle."

"How can you be so sure?" Orihime asked. Kairi then remembered something. "That's right, you've known Terra longer than the rest of us have."

"Because Terra has proven himself capable of becoming a Keyblade Master." Ven stated. "One thing that makes Terra strong is his need to be strong. He vows to go into battle to protect the people that matter to him. And when those people are in danger then he will fight with all his strength." Ven remembered the dream they all share but also Master Xehanort's temptations. "Even though there were times when he gave in to darkness, he always remembered the bond we share and that is what gives him the strength to protect what matters. It's what kept him going for so long." Ven then smiled. "And when Terra has a friend beside him, he grows more stronger."

Ichigo couldn't help but take in her words. In a way, he couldn't help but relate to Terra. After all, the only reason he became strong was to protect all his loved ones from harm. That's what motivated him when he was rescuing Rukia and Orihime.

"How foolish." They turned to see Tesla walking over to them. "As powerful as he may be, he is nothing but a boulder. And any boulder that obscures Master Nnoitra's blade must be destroyed. By Master Nnoitra himself."

"Done rambling?" Ichigo asked sarcastically. Tesla ignored him and said, "Now, hand over Orihime Inoue."

"You think we're just gonna let you!" Ven rhetorically asked.

"I will abide by Master Nnoitra's will." The Fracción replied, before turning his gaze at Orihime, who had her hands next to her hairpins. However, she froze when he said. "Please, don't even think about it. With your level of power, you could not hope to win." He said in a matter-o-fact tone. "It may be true that your power is tremendous, but the reiatsu called Rikka that configures your power is extremely fragile. Even I could easily destroy them."

Orihime said nothing and looked away. She hated to admit it but he was right. Even if she had the resolve, if she fired Tsubaki now, it would be a repeat of last time when Yammy destroyed him.

"The only reason I don't do so, is because your power belongs to Lord Aizen." Orihime looked confused as Tesla continued. "Lord Aizen has strictly ordered us NOT to destroy your Rikka, unless attacked. Meaning if you do attack, I shall destroy it. So, don't force my hand."

Nel, hearing what Tesla said, stepped between them. "Then I hope you are prepared for you actions? Remember if you wish to capture Orihime, you'll have to go through me."

Tesla narrowed his eye in frustration. He hated to admit it but, despite her weakened state, he would still lose to Nelliel in seconds. Regardless, his master would never forgive him if he ran away and ignored his duties. He had to do something.

"Nel, wait." Kairi said, stepping forward. "I'll deal with him." That declaration came to a surprise for everyone.

"Kairi, you're going to fight him?" Ven asked, incredulously.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Ichigo asked. Nel and Orihime was just as baffled. Sora however, just eyed his friend.

"I'm protecting you." Kairi declared. "I know you can beat him Nel but let me fight him. I want to do my role in protecting my friends and make sure they don't get hurt."

"Kairi." Orihime whispered. Telsa narrowed his eye at the red-haired girl before, pulling out his sword. "I applaud you for your bravery. However, it is a foolish effort on your part. If you choose to get involved, I will have no choice but to kill you."

"But…you can't do that!" Orihime cried.

"Leave her out of this!" Ven argued but Sora held his arm out, stopping Ven. "Sora!?"

Sora stared at Kairi for a moment, not saying a word. Then, smiling, he said. "Kairi, give it everything you got."

The red-haired girl smiling brightly and nodded. "Don't worry. This time, I'll protect you." Orihime looked at Kairi in awe and admiration. Despite having met her, she could feel her strong resolve. Ichigo however, still remained doubtful. "Sora, are you sure about this?"

Sora nodded. "Kairi can handle this. She's strong." He said without hesitation.

Nel smiled proudly at Sora's belief. "Then we'll trust your judgement." Kairi looked over at Orihime. "Orihime, please stay beside everyone else. I want to make sure you're safe."

Orihime nodded before she ran over to where the others were. With them out of the area, Kairi held her Keyblade forward, before charging straight at Tesla, blocking her Keyblade with his sword. Their battle ensured.

* * *

Terra and Nnoitra had stopped battling when they noticed the commotion going on over on the other side.

"Awww, isn't that cute." Nnoitra taunted. "The little girl decided to play hero."

"I'll admit I'm surprised Sora let her battle." Terra said, before remembering that she was one of the 7 Guardians of Light. "But still, he wouldn't have let her fight if he didn't have faith in her. I'm sure she can take care of herself."

"Oh please, just because she's a Keyblade Wielder doesn't mean she's special." Nnoitra said. "I can tell be looking at her that compared to everyone else here, she's nothing but a child sitting at the grownups table."

He looked to see Kairi and Tesla exchanging attacks. "In fact, maybe I should go over there and show her just how far in over the head she is."

Terra said nothing at first, then said. "I think you've talked long enough. How about we continue our battle."

Nnoitra smirked, readying his weapon. After a moment of silence, Terra went for a frontal attack. Nnoitra shot his Zanpakutō forward, but Terra reacted in time to dodge it, then jumped high, rising his Keyblade.

"Let's see how you handle this attack." Terra said before his Keyblade began glowing. " _Meteor!_ " He shouted, summoning a giant meteor that was targeted at the Espada. Nnoitra saw this and smirked. "Nice try!" Grabbing the chains, he threw his Zanpakutō at the meteor, shattering it.

Nnoitra called his axe back, then launched it again to cut down Terra. Seeing it fly towards him, Terra barely dodged at attack on time and saw Nnoitra wide open. Now it was his turn.

 _"Dark Haze!"_ Terra was soon cloaked in darkness, then charge at the Espada with immense speed. Before he could react, Terra slashed his chest and appeared behind in seconds, similar to Sora's technique.

Terra turned and saw that while his chest was scratched, he was not damaged at all. "Gotta admit, that attack actually stung a little." Nnoitra said, pulling his Zanpakutō back. "But I told you before, nothing can break this body."

Terra narrowed his eyes in thought. " _I knew it wouldn't kill him. Dark Haze only eliminates weaker targets but I had thought it would have broken through that strong body of his._ _He has to have some kind of weakness. From what I've learned, nothing is really invincible. All he has is an unreal amount of spirit energy…"_

Terra's eyes widened as a thought came to mind. " _I got it. I think I have a way to beat him."_

* * *

Kairi kept moving around to avoid Tesla's sword swings and then flipped over the air to avoid Tesla's piercing attack. The Fracción immediately spun around to attack but Kairi moved to the side, seeing an opening.

Kairi held her Keyblade forward and assaulted Tesla with two spinning attacks, both radiating pure light, with her Keyblade. This was her " _Lightbreaker"_ skill.

Tesla found himself blown back by the attack but recovered enough to slide across the sand. He looked to see Kairi getting into her fighting stance. Kairi noticed that his visible eye began glowing red. What was he doing?

Kairi quickly found her answer when Tesla used Cero Córnea to attack Kairi. The Princess of Heart however, evaded the attack on time. She saw it destroy the boulder that was behind her, slightly gulping at the though of it being her.

Shaking her thoughts, Kairi turned to her opponent. "My turn!" She said, as she waved her Keyblade, summoning four rings of revolving light crystals. _"Sparkza"_ Kairi shot those four crystals at Tesla.

Tesla's eye widened, seeing the oncoming attack. Rather than dodging, he held his sword in a defensive position. Just before the spears came in contact, Tesla made the ring from the center of his sword solid, by generating solid spiritual energy. Kairi saw this as the spears were then absorbed by this trick. This was another of Tesla's techniques. " _Plato Colmillo."_

"No, he blocked my attack." Kairi said.

Tesla's sword returned to normal as he looked at Kairi. "You've proven yourself an interesting opponent." He admitted. "Being able to keep up with my attacks is quite an impressive feat for a human." He then narrowed his eye into a glare. "But you are still not ready for a battle of this caliber. I can already tell that, compared to Sora, you have little combat experience."

Kairi remained neutral as Tesla continued. "If you are smart, you should realize that by now."

"Thank you for your concern." Kairi said before looking determined. "But I refuse. Nothing is going to stop me."

Tesla sighed. "Have it your way." Then, with Sonido, he appeared right in front of Kairi. Kairi held her Keyblade to block Tesla's attack, but was pushed back. Tesla appeared then again before she could react. Tesla was delivering a ferocious onslaught and Kairi looked to be struggling just to keep up.

"Kairi!" Nel and Orihime shouted in concern.

Ichigo was also worried and turned to Sora. "Sora, you have to help her!"

Sora merely shook his head in response. "Sorry, but this is Kairi's fight. She can handle it."

"You really think Kairi can win?" Ven asked, curiously.

Sora nodded. "Trust me, Kairi's a lot stronger than you think. After all, she's been there for me more times than I can count." Watching Kairi battle, Sora smirked and said, "Just watch. She's gonna win." The others listened and turned to watch the battle intently, wondering if Kairi had some kind of plan.

Tesla began unleashing several swords strikes but Kairi block them all and found enough strength to push the last on back. She saw an opening on Tesla but he used Sonido to appear behind her.

Before she could react, he grabbed her by her neck and threw her straight into a wall. Kairi gasped as she felt some air knocked out of her. She looked up and saw Tesla charging over with his sword raised, intending to stab her.

"This is it!" Tesla declared.

However, Kairi smirked as she raised her Keyblade once more. "Reflect!" A barrier surrounded Kairi and when Tesla struck it, it became stuck to the shield. Then, the barrier released an explosion that was too intense for Tesla to handle and was sent straight back, feeling pain from the intense pressure. As he landed on the sand, he looked up at Kairi getting down from the wall, wiping off the dust from her dress.

"Your attacks are strong, I'll give you that much." Kairi said, before flashing back to her previous battle with Saix and Xion. "But I've fought two people who attack harder than you."

Tesla glared at the girl, slightly irritated by her comment. Getting up, he charged once more, but Kairi unleashed an Aeroza spell, creating a gust of wind that forced him to cover. However, Kairi used the opportunity to jump high, floating above the Arrancar.

"I've been training hard so I can fight along with my friends and it's time I show you what I'm made of." Kairi then concentrated, before glowing. _**"Shotlock: Morning Dew!"**_ Tesla soon found dozens of sparkling Crystals surrounding him, then all of them exploded, striking Tesla in each angle with tiny rays of light.

" _Flower Shoot!_ " She finished by firing another beam of light at Tesla, dealing more damage to him as he was sent flying once more, creating a cloud of dust as a result. Kairi panted slightly as she held her Keyblade down.

"Kairi, are you alright!" Orihime shouted in concern.

"I'm alright Orihime." Kairi reassured. "His attacks were strong, but I was able to turn it around."

Nel however, remained cautious. "Still, you need to be careful. Tesla may lack power but Nnoitra would not have made him his Fracción if he couldn't keep up with him."

Too prove her point, Kairi saw Tesla emerging from the debris. Kairi could see his clothes slightly tattered and bruises on his face, showing injury from her attacks. While the girl proved stronger than she looked, he wasn't going to lose this fight. If he lost this battle, especially to a girl, he'd never be able to look at his master's face again.

"Well then, you have prove yourself a resourceful fighter." Tesla said before picking up his sword. "However, it appears as though I must end this quickly." Kairi got into her fighting stance, preparing for Tesla's next move

However, before he could do whatever he was about to do, they were suddenly interrupted by a sudden burst of power.

"It's coming from where Terra and Nnoitra are." Sora realized.

"What do you think is going on!?" Ichigo asked, feeling the power.

"I'm not sure!" Ven said.

Tesla looked in concern. That was the same place his master was fighting at.

* * *

Nnoitra narrowed his eye as he looked at Terra's new change in appearance. He was now donning a dark colored suit of armor with upturned, sharp hooks on the backs of his boots, a cape, and a dark-visored helmet with two tall prongs on either side. He also began emanating large amount of power from his appearance.

" ** _Formchange: Dark Impulse_**." Terra said. Nnoitra observed the armored warrior. Despite the change of clothing, he could feel that his power had skyrocketed. The Fifth Espada then recalled Sora having performed a similar transformation before.

"So, you have the same power Sora does." Nnoitra chuckled. "This just became more interesting. I can't wait to see how strong that transformation made you now."

"Believe me, I'm on a whole other level." Terra retorted.

Nnoitra charged ahead, Terra doing the same, both of them bashing their weapons together. An explosion of raw power shook the entire area. A crater formed from the ground beneath them as they jumped high into the sky. When they were high enough, the two fighters began trading several swords strikes one after another. Each hit they delivered one the other resulted in more outburst of power.

Awhile later, they slowly descended to one of the red pillars, dashing towards opposite ends of the tower. Terra then charged with a dark clawing attack, but Nnoitra blocked it his Zanpakutō. Terra then performed a flurry of slashes, but Nnoitra avoided them. He raised his Keyblade. "Quake!" Terra generated a small earthquake that kicked up pillars of rock. Nnoitra dodged them all.

Nnoitra then opened his mouth and fired a Cero, but Terra held his Keyblade up and swatted the attack away.

Then, keeping his body low and bent forward, Terra sank into a small pool of dark energy. The Espada looked around for Terra, wondering where he disappeared to. However, he was caught off guard when the same pool of dark energy appeared and Terra flew out, striking him from below with a massive hand made of dark red and purple energy.

Terra stepped back as his Formchange wore off while Nnoitra looked unimpressed. "Didn't you hear what I said? You can try to hit me all you want but you aren't gonna break this body."

Terra looked at Nnoitra and, to his surprise, smirked at him. "Then tell me, is that cut just for show?"

Suddenly, a large horizontal cut appeared on Nnoitra's chest, much to his shock. "What! But how!?" Nnoitra snapped.

"It took my awhile but I was able to discover a way around your iron skin." Terra said. " _I was right. The only way to actually hurt him would be to adapt to the power of his Hierro."_

The Fifth Espada shot him a glare. First Sora, now him. No, not Sora. It was Nelliel that did this to him. Another thing that he had in common with Grimmjow was that he also hated when people looked down on him. He was gonna make sure to slaughter them all.

Jumping high, Terra looked up as Nnoitra said. "Don't get cocky because you nicked me a little." He suddenly bit his tongue, "Let's see you cut through this! Gran Rey Cero!" Nnoitra fired a Gran Rey Cero straight at Terra.

Terra's eyes snapped wide as he raised his Keyblade, which began glowing. _**"Shotlock Max 2: Ultima Cannon!"**_ His Keyblade then transformed into a large cannon, which fired a continuous beam of energy that collided with the Gran Rey Cero. From a distant point of view, the tower that Terra and Nnoitra were on, suddenly exploded.

Back with Nnoitra, he landed on the ground as he turned to see the demolished tower. He grinned as he saw no sign of Terra.

"How'd you like that?" He said, smiling. "Guess my Gran Rey Cero was too much for you. There's not even a trace left."

"Think again!" Nnoitra's eye widened as he saw Terra emerging from the smoke. He dashed straight at Nnoitra, who reacted in time to parry his Keyblade with his Zanpakutō. Nnoitra dealt several more attacks at Terra, while he managed to block some, they were to quick and he was struck a few times.

"Damn it!" Terra moaned. Nnoitra swung his axe around but Terra slid to the other side. When Nnoitra attempted the same attack, Terra jumped all the way back for distance. Then, he charged straight at Nnoitra once more. Nnoitra couldn't dodge in time. However, Terra stopped, his Keyblade just inches away from Nnoitra. The Fifth Espada however, stopped his axe from reaching Terra as well.

Nnoitra glared down at him. "Why'd you stop your attack?'"

"I can ask you the same thing?" Terra retorted.

Nnoitra stepped back. "You idiot. It's obvious I stopped my sword because I saw you stop your sword!" He swung his Zanpakutō again but Terra counter with a swing of his own. The two kept going on the offensive for a while until Terra jumped and landed back.

Nnoitra smirked. "Are you still putting up a fight? You just don't know when to give up."

"You really are a tough one." Terra admitted. "That last attack I dealt should have done a little damage." He then hardened his expression. This Nnoitra proved a lot tougher than he originally thought. He needed to think of something fast if he wanted to beat him and rescue Sora and Ichigo. But what attack could he use to take him down. Terra's eyes widened as a thought came to mind.

" _Yeah. That technique might work."_ Terra thought before looking back at Nnoitra. "Alright Nnoitra, it's time we settle this."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Nnoitra said. With that, the battle resumed. Terra instantly charged at the Fifth Espada, and the two weapons clashed. Nnoitra used all his strength into his attacks, hoping to overpower Terra. He however, responded with a few combos of his own.

Nnoitra raised his Zanpakutō up, bringing it down on Terra. He lifted his Keyblade and Light blade up to block it. Knocking it back, he instantly dashed all around Nnoitra, delivering several strikes all around him. Nnoitra attempted to hit him but he ducked and appeared in front of him.

 _ **"Shotlock Max: Sonic Shadow!"**_ Terra was engulfed in a shadowy aura and repeatedly charging through Nnoitra, dealing also sorts of dark slashes all around him. Then, slamming his Keyblade down, a pillar of darkness erupted beneath Nnoitra, engulfing him. The attack took its effect, sending Nnoitra back, leaving him damaged. He grimace at the sight as he saw Terra running over to him. The Espada opened his mouth and fired a Cero. Terra however, casted Reflega, repelling the attack back to him. Nnoitra couldn't react as he consumed by the attack.

Terra looked back at the explosion, knowing that Nnoitra wouldn't go down that easily. He was right when Nnoitra came out of the smoke. While the left side of his clothes were torn, he was practically unharmed.

"Heh. Not bad Keyblade Wielder." Nnoitra said. "But no matter how you look at it, I'm gonna win this little dispute."

"How are you going to do that?" Terra said, his anger rising from recalling what happened to Sora. "Do you plan on tricking me like you did with Sora! You knew you could never beat him, so you decided to lure him into a trap!"

"Shut up!" the Espada yelled. "It's his own fault for falling into it."

Terra glared at Nnoitra as he walked over to him. "You know, I've been wondering, why is it that you wanna be strong. You said you're the most powerful Espada, so what more can you get out of it?"

Nnoitra scoffed as he replied. "Simple, Cause I wanna die."

Terra froze as he looked at him like he was crazy. "The stronger I get; the more fights will come my way. That's why I'm gonna get stronger than anyone. In order to fight with the strongest, anyone stronger than me can't be allowed to exist. So, I'm gonna crush them all!"

Terra looked at him for a moment before sighing. "You just don't get it do you. There are many reason's people fight. Protecting someone's life or pride, then fighting means something. But you only want to fight just to prove your better than everyone. A fight like that has no meaning to it."

Nnoitra looked annoyed. What Terra just said reminded him of what Nelliel use to tell him back in the day. He didn't who he hated more; him, Sora, or Nelliel.

"As for me, I'll fight to protect my friends." Terra stated. "To make sure nothing ever happens, I desired to find the strength I need to protect what matters to me, and that's everything!"

"You done rambling!?" He said. "Let's see how your friends like it when I sever that power by bringing them your head!"

He and Terra continued their clash of swords, striking and parrying attacks with every ounce of strength, trying to cut down the other. Finally, Terra knocked Nnoitra's axe to one side, finding the opening he needed.

 _ **"Shotlock: Dark Volley!"**_ Terra several dark projectiles at the Espada, leaving him unable to defend himself and was struck by the force of his attacks. The final hit sent Nnoitra skidding across the ground. Terra breathed heavily as he stood with his Keyblades at his side.

"You had enough yet!?" Terra growled.

"Your more impressive." Nnoitra admitted. "A lot like Sora. Must be why I'm starting to hate you so much." Nnoitra grinned as a thought came to mind. "Now, try handling this!"

Nnoitra jumped about twenty feet in the air. Grabbing his Zanpakutō's chain, Nnoitra began swinging his Zanpakutō. Creating the giant whirlwind of sand, much to Terra's surprise. What was worse was that he soon found himself caught in the center of it.

Terra had a difficult time seeing clearly due to all the sand. Just then, Terra's instincts kicked in just in time to sense Nnoitra's Zanpakutō, which he had thrown at him. Terra raised his Keyblades to block the attack. As Terra was pushed back, he managed to see the chain fall, seeing no one grabbing it. Terra's eyes widened when he sensed someone behind him.

Nnoitra popped out from the sandstorm and "Gotcha now!" He said before punching Terra. Terra raised his armored forearm to block the punch but felt the metal crack as he was sent flying. The black swordsman skidded across the ground as he rubbed his arm, showing the armor dented. He was concentrating on ignoring the pain.

"Ha, Ha, Ha!" Nnoitra laughed. "What's wrong, did I break your arm!?"

Terra glared as he entered his Formchange once more. He needed to think of something fast to end this fight if he wanted to make it out of this with his friends together. He then closed his eyes, as if he was waiting for the right moment.

"Now then. It's been fun, but I think it's time I ended this!" Nnoitra's body began glowing with yellow spirit energy. With a roar, he leapt right towards Terra's position. However, Terra suddenly opened his eyes as his leaped high, his Keyblade glowing bronze.

"Your done now!" Terra declared as he flew towards him. " _Meteor Crash!"_

Instantly, Terra and Nnoitra's attacks paired, creating a large explosion of yellow and dark energy consumed them, destroying everything in the surrounding area.

* * *

Back in Szayelaporro's chamber, Pesche hid beneath the rubble as he watched Aqua, Renji, and Uryū being beaten by the Eighth Espada. While he watched, Pesche remembered his and Dondochakka's team in Aizen's army, where they served as Nel Fracción. Suddenly, he remembered when Nnoitra had their masks forcibly removed and lured Nelliel into a trap by Szayelaporro. After breaking her mask with a sneak attack, the two threw all three of them off the dome of Las Noches, where Nelliel reverted to a child. With few of her powers and none of her memories, he and Dondochakka swore to dedicate their lives to protect her, hiding their true identities. They feared that not doing so would cause her memories to come back, which neither of them wanted since Nelliel strongly disliked fighting, and in her child form, she would no longer have to fight.

However, with the spiritual pressure they sensed earlier was no doubt coming Master Nel. That meant that she had finely returned and was participating in the battle. Narrowing his eye, Pesche knew now that with their master back, it was time for them to step in.

Szayelaporro looked impassively at a battered and heavily bruised Aqua, with blood on her mouth. Aqua was taking deep breaths as she used her Keyblade for support, though she looked ready to collapse. Standing in front of her were two of Szayelaporro's monsters.

Uryū and Renji were both lying on the ground, both of whom have seen better days. Szayelaporro had used the dolls to crush several of their organs. He threatened Aqua that if she were to speak or try to fight back, then he would crush all of their organs. Left with no choice, Aqua stood down and that's when the monsters began pounding her sensually.

Aqua did attempt to defend herself, however Szayelaporro took that as attacking and crushed three unspecified organs of Renji.

Szayelaporro chuckled at the sight of her. "I thought you didn't have much time. Didn't you say you wanted to save your friends? Or were you just all talk?"

Aqua glared hard as he laughed out loud. "Y-you…don't you dare mock m-me! You'll pay for t-this!"

Szayelaporro raised a finger. "Uh, uh, uh. I said the only things I wanted to hear from you were your screams." He then brought up the Uryū doll. "Perhaps you need another reminder."

"Aqua." Uryū said weakly. "Forget about us. Just stop Szayelaporro."

Aqua looked to her new friend, shaking her head. "I can't. I want to stop Szayelaporro, but can't let you guys die." Aqua slowly began standing straight. "That's why I'll do whatever it takes...to make sure we all get out of here safely." She then shot a hateful glare at the Eighth Espada. "I don't care what you do to me but I don't plan on dying after what you did to my friends!"

Szayelaporro wasn't intimidated by her words. "Perhaps you need to stay down." Then, his monster prepared to punch Aqua. However, it was knocked back by Renji's Bankai.

Aqua and Szayelaporro turned to see Renji breathing heavily, having gotten up despite the condition he was in.

"You are too persistent." Szayelaporro said in annoyance. "I've taken you down countless times. Why can't you just take the hint and stay down for once."

Renji roar and charged straight at Szayelaporro. The Espada sighed and Aqua saw him pull out another stone that said "Tendón de Aquiles."

"Like I said."

"No! Leave him alone!" Aqua shouted.

"You are too persistent." With that, he snapped the stone in two and Renji fell to the ground.

"I just severed your left Achilles tendon. Now then, what part of you shall I break next?" Szayelaporro smiled as he said. "Of course, if I play with too many organs your body may fail altogether."

Aqua's eyes snapped wide as she heard that. "You…how could you!"

"Uh, uh. Didn't I tell you the price for your disobedience." Szayelaporro then snapped another tendon. Renji screamed as he felt his back snap in two.

"NO! Renji!" Aqua shouted. Suddenly, Szayelaporro shot two of his tentacles at Aqua, wrapping them around her wrist. He then lifted Aqua off the ground, her arms hanging above her head. Szayelaporro walked, over bringing her face close to the same eye level. "Now then, since I failed with Sora, I guess I'll have to settle for you." He said, coupling her cheek.

Aqua's looked at him in disgust. "I do look forward to putting you through such terrible and humiliating experiments. I wonder, how much will your body and pride last from that?"

Szayelaporro's laughter was cut short when Aqua delivered a magic enhanced kick under his jaw, causing him to bite his tongue. He stepped back as Aqua fell to the ground. "Someone like you who uses cowardly tactics and toys around with other people doesn't deserve any mercy!"

Szayelaporro rubbed his jaw as he looked at her. "You little harlot." Then he raised his tentacles behind him. "Before I begin my experiments, let me add you to my collection."

Before he could however, he sensed something happening from behind. Glancing back, he saw some strange yellow fluid hit him on the back. Not that it did anything. "What is going on?" Szayelaporro asked, more annoyed than concerned. However, the liquid fell on his hands, landing on the dolls. The liquid caused the dolls to slip out of his hands.

Szayelaporro looked shocked as the dolls fell. Then, Pesche slid underneath and grabbed the dolls with his hands. "Got it. I got it!" He cheered before turning over. "Now, Dondochakka! Bring out Bawabawa!"

"Yeah!" Dondochakka complied as he got out from the rubble. Aqua saw Dondochakka running over to where they were. "Comin' to get cha." Then, opening his mouth wide, Aqua saw a worm-like Hollow come right out of Dondochakka's mouth.

"What is that!?" Aqua asked.

"That's Bawabawa." Renji answered. "He's sorta their pet and to be honest I thought they left him at the entrance of Las Noches.

"Just what is that thing doing in Dondochakka's mouth?" Uryū asked.

"Bawabawa is one of the combat spirit bugs Dondochakka houses inside his body." Pesche replied, riding on top of Bawabawa. "But we didn't dare tell Master Nel about it. We were worried that any information about us trigger her memories too return.

"You see, Master Nel always hated fighting." Pesche explained. "And now, she's free from the horrors of violence. But if her memory came back, then so would those painful, sad thoughts. And our duty was to protect her from pain, no matter what."

"However," Aqua eyes widened in surprise as she saw Pesche's serious demeanor. It was nothing like the same goofy, comedic one she had seen earlier. "She certainly has the will to fight Now! And if Master Nel says she wants to fight, then it is our job to be at her side. We will not be intimidated by the likes of you Szayelaporro!" Pesche declared.

"Let's go!" Bawabawa then moved straight at the Espada. Szayelaporro just stood there, unimpressed as he used his wing-like appendage to stop Bawabawa.

"Your gonna take me down." Szayelaporro mocked. "Tsk. That's pretty big talk considering you're just a lowly Fracción."

Pesche then leaped in the air as he turned around. "Now, Aqua! I've cleared the way for you!"

The Eighth Espada looked to see Aqua appearing in front of him. She then slashed him across his chest, sending him flying.

After jumping away, Aqua lifted her Keyblade up. " _Curaza!"_ With that spell, the injuries on her body disappeared. "Thanks, you guys." She said to Pesche and Dondochakka. "That was just enough time I needed to heal myself." She said before glaring straight at the Espada.

Szayelaporro's eyes were shadowed as he got back up. "Go." He said to his monsters. "Grabbed those two idiots and crush them like the insects they." He ordered, with his voice on edge.

His monster roared in resignation as they charged over to them. "And while you're doing that." Pesche and Dondochakka got together, not ready to go down just yet. "I'll smash the young harlot who's been thorn on my side!" he said manically.

However, Aqua appeared in front of them, her Keblade glowing. "Oh yeah, I owe you guys for hitting me. _**Shotlock Max 2: Lightbloom!**_ " Suddenly, spinning gracefully, she began pirouetting around them while firing several volleys of light energy from her Keyblade. The attack began swirling around and attacking the two monsters. With a final swing, she destroyed the two monsters till there was nothing left.

Seeing his two creatures destroyed, Szayelaporro looked terrified as Aqua slowly walked over to him. "Now then, by your expression, I think you're all out of tricks."

"Stay back!" Szayelaporro ordered, though unconsciously stepped back. Aqua looked at him once more before hardening her eyes. "Sorry but you hurt my friends. That's something I can't overlook. But let it be known that you weren't defeated just by me but by my friends." Aqua gave a small smile. "My friends and I will always be one. And when you fought me, you fought them to!"

"Wait…we can-" Szayelaporro tried to speak but Aqua's Keyblade began glowing as she entered her Formchange once more. Only this time, she created three clones of herself. The light that surrounded them was so intense that the other's had to shield their eyes.

"What's going on!" Renji asked.

"I don't know." Answered Uryū. "But I feel an immense amount of power from that attack."

The Aquas yelled as they charged straight at Szayelaporro and used their entire strength to perform a piercing strike directly at the Espada's chest. Szayelaporro screamed as he was consumed in an intense explosion that occurred afterwards.

* * *

Back with the Ichigo, Sora, Nel, Ven, Kairi, and Orihime, they remained completely still as they saw the explosion the result from Terra and Nnoitra's attacks. So far, there appeared to be no one coming out from the smoke.

"Terra, do you think he's alright?" asked a worried Orihime.

"I'm not sure." Kairi said, feeling uncertain.

"Those attacks looked pretty powerful." Ichigo stated. "Wouldn't surprise me if they beat each other up."

"Then lets hope Terra brought that jerk down first." Ven stated.

"Sounds like they really went at it." Sora commented. "What do you think Nel?"

Nel looked at their battlefield with a tentative expression. "Terra has proven to be a powerful fighter. However, to be certain of your victory, you must make sure your opponent is truly defeated." She said wisely, before giving Sora a small smile. "But don't worry. I'm sure Terra is safe and if Nnoitra is still alive, I'll step into the battle."

"Save your energy." Tesla said to the former Espada. "Master Nnoitra has survived worst encounters than this and you know it. Try as your friend might, in the end, not even he was a match for my master."

Ven and Kairi took out their weapons. "Well, you still have us to deal with." The blonde Keyblade Wielder declared, but Nel stopped him. "Remember who was his opponent." She said, looking at Kairi who nodded, knowing Nel wanted her to finish her battle.

"Remember, I said I was going to beat you." Kairi informed. "You have to get through me first."

Tesla looked impassive as he took out his Zanpakutō. " _Gore him! Veruga!_ "

Suddenly, a large whirlwind surround Tesla. The air was so intense that the others were having difficult to see.

"Crap! He's going into his Resurrección!" Ichigo said. Kairi didn't know what that was but from what she saw, it made this Arrancar more powerful than he already was.

When the wind subsided, they looked to see Tesla's new form. He had become a large, warthog-like creature. His mask grew to cover his entire face, and produced a pair of tusks. His hair also grew into a mane, and on his chest, were six exclamation point-like markings, three per pec. His mask had a large scar covering his right eye, where his eye patch covered when he was in his unreleased form.

Looking down, Tesla moved his eyes to Kairi. Then, raising his hoof, he prepared to step on her.

"Kairi look out!" Sora shouted as he used all his strength to push Kairi out of the way. However, Tesla's hoof slammed on to Sora's leg, breaking it.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Sora screamed in pain. Tesla then moved to reach him but Flower Shoot attacks shot at his arm, though it didn't pierce him due to his enhanced Hierro. He looked to see Kairi running to him.

"Stop, I won't let you hurt Sora! _Aeroza!_ " Kairi said as she waved her Keyblade, producing a made whirlwind. However, Tesla was able to resist the strong wind and prepared to hit Kairi with his massive fist, only she jumped to dodge and then jabbed her Keyblade on the ground.

 _ **"Shotlock Max: Luminous Burg!"**_ From beneath Tesla, a magic circle appeared and from it, he was struck by several volleys of light magic, pummbling him. When the attack ended, Tesla panted lightly as he said, "It would seem you wish to meet your fate first. Very well then, you shall know the true might of a Fracción of Master Nnoitra!"

Kairi said nothing as she looked at her Keyblade. She knew this fight needed to end but she hoped she had enough power for this. _"I never had the chance to use this!"_ She mentally said. " _I hope I have enough magic power for this."_

Her eyes set, Kairi raised her Keyblade. " _ **Formchange: Flower Scepter!**_ " Everyone looked and, shockingly, Kairi's Keyblade transformed into a pink scepter that was wrapped around in gold waving vines that ended with a rose bud on the top. While everyone looked in awe, Sora lifted his head and proudly smirked at Kairi's power.

"Now!" She said in a serious tone. "It's time I end this."

"You'll end this." Tesla repeated. "Don't make promises you cannot keep." With amazing speed for his size, Tesla appeared in front of her and prepared to bring down his fist. However, Kairi jumped out of the way in time and his fist hit the sand, creating a small dust cloud.

"I was hoping to save this for another battle, but it seems I have no choice." Kairi declared as she waved her scepter. " _Rain of Light!_ " Kairi produced three magic circles, each shooting out volleys of light orbs that flew towards Tesla. Tesla crossed his arms to block them.

"It's no use!" Kairi shouted. "In this form, my magic power is enhanced greatly and can pierce through any defense!" It proved true as Tesla saw those attack pierce through his arms, legs, and sides of his torso. Soon, he screamed as he found himself cut all over.

" _No! I completely underestimated her!_ " Tesla thought. He saw Kairi preforming the same attack again. This time, he dodged it. Kairi preformed it again and again, but Tesla proved to be very evasive.

" _Her magic attacks are trouble. If I move carelessly, then it could deal serious damages to me._ " Tesla thought as he jumped high to avoid the next attack. Then, he launched himself to hit Kairi, only to have anticipated this and cartwheeled away. However, when she did, she created a light clone of herself, with the same weapon.

"Try two! _Carnation Barrage!_ " The Kairis fired a rotating beam of light shaped like petals. Tesla gathered spirit energy from between his tusks and fired a Cero that collided with the attack, both igniting. When the attack ended, he then charged at Kairi and threw punch after punch, but Kairi avoid most of them, except the last one, which she used her scepter to create a wall of light, blocking it.

Kairi then fired another Rain of Light attack. Tesla jumped away again. "Running away." She said as she fired another round.

"I won't run or hide from you!" Tesla said as he fired a Cero. Kairi cast a barrier to block the attack. Though the attack was powerful to send Kairi back. Tesla charged for another punch but two more Kairi clones appeared and struck him hard on the knees. Though hurt, Tesla used all his strength to punch Kairi, though she raised her weapon to block the punch and skidded across the sand.

The two stared down at each other for a moment before Tesla said. "I'll admit you have proven yourself to be a more formidable opponent then I gave you credit for. However, now I think it's time we end this." He fired another Cero, which moved towards Kairi. However, rather then dodge or deflect it, the tip of Kairi's scepter glowed until the rose started blooming. Then, Kairi raised her scepter and pierced Tesla's Cero, the immense light from her weapon overpowering it.

Seeing his Cero overpowered, Tesla looked closely and, much to his shock, the rose on Kairi's scepter began to fully bloom.

"What…What are you..." He said in surprise.

"You see this?" Kairi said. "I should thank you. Because you pushed me so hard, all the magic that I have been storing up is now finally ready to be released. It's time we end this now so I can save Sora and Ichigo and return home with everyone." Holding her scepter with both hands, Kairi raised it high in the air and said. " _Flower Scepter! Ultimate Finish!_ "

The Rose fully bloomed and when it did, a large beam of solar light fired at Tesla, engulfing the Arrancar. Tesla screamed as he was enveloped by this powerful beam, his entire body being assaulted by the burning light.

* * *

Aqua landed on the ground to see Szayelaporro landing flat on his back. It appeared her final attack worked, the Eighth Espada was defeated.

Aqua sighed in relief, her clones disappearing. "Thank goodness it's over." She said before collapsing.

"Aqua!" Uryū shouted in concern.

"Hey Aqua, you okay?!" Renji asked.

Aqua waved her hand in response. "I'm fine, just tired."

"Don't worry Aqua." Pesche said as he and Dondochakka came over (he had already put Bawabawa away) "We'll help ya out."

"You got that right." Dondochakka said.

Aqua smiled as Dondochakka picked her up. "Thanks guys. I have to admit, you two really proved yourselves as brave warriors."

"Well, we are the Fracciónes of Master Nel after all." Pesche boasted, Dondochakka nodding as they walked over to Uryū and Renji.

Aqua giggled. "Well, if she were here, I'm sure she'd be proud."

"Speaking of which." They turned to Uryū, looking up at them. "You speak of Nel as if she was an Espada."

Pesche and Dondochakka's eyes slightly widened. They realized they never told them about Nel's true past.

"Oh…well…uh" Dondochakka was at a loss for words.

"Let's…start at the beginning." Pesche said. Though before he could start, they were interrupted by sudden laughter.

The heroes turned and their eyes widened in shock by what they saw.

"No way." Uryū breathed.

"You're kidding me right!" Renji said.

Szayelaporro was standing before them. His body was emanating pink spirit energy. What shocked them most was the injuries he received from Aqua up till now were gone. There wasn't a scratch on him.

"You…" Aqua said in disbelief before becoming frustrated. "How can you be moving!?"

"How this, why that. You certainly ask a lot of questions." Szayelaporro said. "It's quite simple really. You may not know, but I personally modified my Fracciónes that when I devour them, my injuries will heal. But, how did you think I had the resources for it?"

Szayelaporro then sprouted his wing-like appendages. "The strands you see here are filled with a special fluid that allows me to heal my body from any injuries or ailments."

" _So that's how he did it_." Aqua thought.

"A mistake on your part was that you should've used it when I was in my sealed state." The Espada said. "But then again, that wouldn't have helped either as Arrancar heal when they enter a Resurrección."

Aqua got into a fighting position but Pesche and Dondochakka got in front of her.

"Don't worry Aqua, you've done enough." Pesche said.

"Sit back and leave it to us, know what I mean." Dondochakka said.

"But wait…" Aqua tried to warn them but was cut off by Szayelaporro.

"Don't make any brash decisions." He said, catching their attention. "Did you think I didn't know who you were just because you changed your mask and outfits? I realized it right away from the moment I saw you two."

Szayelaporro looked at them. "It was obvious to me that you were both Nelliel's Fracciónes. Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Bilstanne."

The two gasped. He managed to figure it out. "That's why I continued to observe everything about you. Your movements, your spiritual pressure, your experience, your tactics. Even while fighting the Keyblade Wielder, Quincy, and Soul Reaper."

"Whatever tricks you two may have had up your sleeve would now be useless at this point." He said. "You should have done it from the start."

Pesche and Dondochakka looked terrified. That means the new attack they spent years developing would have no effect either.

"Hopefully, we now understand each other." Szayelaporro said, raising his hands. "I think our lengthy performance is about to come to an end." He then narrowed his eyes. "Frankly, I don't think you'll like the conclusion."

Aqua didn't like the look of this. Uryū and Renji were incapable of fighting and whatever Pesche and Dondochakka had planned was useless. No choice, she got in front of everyone.

"Pesche, Dondochakka, get Uryū and Renji and get out of here now!" She ordered. "I'll stay here and hold him off."

The two Fracción didn't respond. "Snap out of it you two!" She said. The two nodded and went over to them.

"Wait, you can't really be thinking of fighting him alone." Uryū argued.

"That's right! Besides, we still have to settle things with him!" Renji said.

"And how are you gonna do that!" She shot back. "Both of you are still injured. The most you do is get in the way."

She was cut off by Szayelaporro's chuckling. "How cute. It's the brave little girl coming to the rescue. However, tries as you might, none of you will be making it out of here."

Aqua narrowed her eyes as she summoned her Keyblade. There was no way she was going down without a fight.

* * *

Riku had been tending to Rukia's wounds for almost an hour now. While his healing magic wasn't as strong as Kairi, Aqua, or Donald, he had enough skill to heal a person. Riku wiped his forehead as he looked at her. "That should be good enough."

Just then, Rukia's body began to stir. The petite Soul Reaper groan as she weakly opened her eyes. She barely saw the image of Riku looking at her. "W-who…who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Riku. Don't worry, I'm someone you can trust." Riku assured. Rukia was confused until she saw the weapon on his hands. Her eyes widened in recognition. "That blade. You're a Keyblade Wielder."

" _Guess that saves time on explanation._ " Riku thought. "It is. Anyways, don't move around so much. You were hurt pretty bad."

Rukia noticed her body and saw that her wounds were almost gone. "You healed me."

Riku nodded. "So far, I managed to seal the wound in your body and stop the bleeding. But it won't last for long." He said. "Hopefully, I can get you out of here and take you to some friends of mine to finish the job."

"I see." Rukia said. "Thank you."

Riku smiled. "Don't worry about it. Just get some rest. Then we'll…" Riku trailed off as he felt a presence behind him. Rukia sensed it to. Whoever it was, their spiritual pressure was incredible. Turning around, they saw Zommari standing before them.

"Who are you?" Riku asked. Zommari didn't reply.

"I asked you a question. Answer me!" He said forcefully. Zommari said nothing as he looked over at Aaroniero's body.

"Aaroniero Arruruerie." He said in an emotionless tone yet almost sounded mourning. "Just as we suspected, the last remaining Espada from the first generation met with a tragic end."

Zommari then looked over at Rukia, Riku getting up. He didn't know who he was but something told him he wasn't here to make friends.

"It's obvious what happened." He said, reading the situation. "Your attacks were soft." He then took out his sword. "You underestimated your enemy. You were convinced you had won. You thought they were dead and that arrogance cost you your life. The only way to assure your victory would've been to cut off your enemy's head."

Rukia's eyes widened in terror. Riku just about had enough of this. "Enough! Stop acting like I'm not here!"

"Why should I concern myself with you." Zommari said. "Right now, my only target is the one who killed Aaroniero. You are irrelevant."

Riku then summoned his Keyblade, causing Zommari's eyes to slightly widen. "Guess you didn't expect that." Riku mocked.

"A Keyblade Wielder?" Zommari said. "I see. That means you have come to rescue Sora, your comrade."

"So, you know Sora." Riku said. "In that case, tell me where he is?"

"I regret to inform you but I do not know where he is." Zommari replied. "I assume he has gone into hiding or has met his fate by the other Espada."

"So, you're an Espada too?" Riku asked.

"Correct." He answered. "I am Espada Number 7, Zommari Rureaux."

Rukia couldn't help but feel nervous in this situation. The Espada she barely defeated was ranked nine. That means this Espada is even more powerful than him.

"Riku…get away now…" she pleaded. "You're no match for…"

"I said don't move." Riku said before getting into his fighting stance. "And I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I abandon you." He then glanced at her. "So, just sit there and keep your mouth shut. I got this."

Rukia couldn't help but look at this person. His stubbornness and impolite tone reminded so much of a certain half-soul reaper she's friends with.

"You said your name is Riku?" Zommari said as he raised his sword. "I see. I will remember it." He then took on last glance at Aaroniero. "Now, rest easy Aaroniero. Now that I'm here, I will avenge your death and clean up your mistake."

* * *

"How long is this going to take!?" Screamed an annoyed Lea. He and his friends have been crossing this desert for what felt like an hour and have so far come across nothing.

"About another hour if you keep asking me that!" Roxas shot back, annoyed at his complaining.

Lea sighed as he wiped the sweat around his forehead. "If I had known this would be a desert world, I would've brought some lighter clothes."

"Hopefully everyone else managed to find Sora or Kairi." Xion said, concerned for her friends.

"Who knows." Lea said. "Besides, I think we need to focus on finding the others in this desert."

"I'm sure they're alright." Roxas said. "For now, let's try to find some place to rest for a bit. We need to regain our strength."

"I guess you have a..." Xion trailed off until she abruptly stopped. Lea and Roxas noticed this and looked at her. The latter asked. "Hey, Xion. What's wrong?"

The black haired girl said nothing for a while but then said, "I feel two faint presences over there." She said, pointing at a large building not too far from here.

Lea looked skeptical. "Over there. Are you sur-hey…" Lea was cut off as Xion dashed over to that direction, with Roxas soon following. Sighing, Lea ran after her. After a few minutes, the three arrived at the building. Lea whistled at the sight at the large gaping wall in the front.

"What could've done this?" Lea asked curiously. Roxas and Xion also wanted to know and found their answer when they spotted something.

Running over, Xion saw the bodies of two people. Unknown to her, they were Chad and Gantenbainne. She placed a finger on their necks and to her relief, there was a pulse.

Lea walked over to her, examining the bodies. "Whoa. Must have been some fight. Guess these two ended up killing each other."

"Could be." Roxas guessed, before turning to Xion. "Xion, are they alright?"

"Their injuries aren't fatal, but left like this then they might die within a few hours." She then summoned her Keyblade, which was the same Kingdom Key Keyblade as Sora's. "Axel, Roxas, stand back." She said. "I'm going to try and heal them."

"I'm afraid you won't be doing anything."

The Sea-Salt Trio turned around and over a dozen Arrancar behind them. They were the Exequias. The one in front stood out the most. Like the Exequias, his face was hidden. However, unlike the rest of them, he wore a bull-shaped skull, instead of the typical human-shaped skulls that the others wore. His name was Rudbornn Chelute, the leader of the Exequias.

Rudbornn scoffed at the group. "Both of them are just barely alive. And it would seem we have new intruders."

"Who are you masked freaks?" Lea asked, getting into a fighting stance and summoned his Keyblade. The blade and teeth took the shape of a glowing translucent streak of yellow-orange flames and the guard, chains and medallion at the end resembling chakrams. This was the Flame Liberator Keyblade.

"I am Rudbornn and we are the Exequias." He introduced. "We were given orders to kill any intruders on sight as well as retrieving the two bodies over there."

Roxas narrowed her eyes as he summoned two Keyblades, both white and black. The white one has a hilt guards that resembled angel wings and the shaft blade bore two white bars, with a pair of hearts forming at the tip. The teeth of the blade is fashioned in the shape of the Kanji for "light" The keychain token is a star-shell charm. This is the Oathkeeper Keyblade.

The black one has a hilt guard is comprised of two bat-like wings that extend downward. The teeth are in the shape of the Kanji for "darkness", opposite to the Oathkeeper. The keychain's token is a dark crown emblem. This Keyblade is called Oblivion.

"You guys aren't killing anybody. Not if we have anything to say about it." Roxas said as Xion stood up and got into her fighting stance. "We'll protect these two with our lives." She declared.

"So be it." Rudbornn unsheathed his sword. "Prepare to begin retrieval." The rest of his subordinates soon followed. Lea, Roxas, and Xion got ready, for a fight was on its way.

* * *

Back with Kairi, she watched as her final attack damaging Tesla. Soon, the solar beam subsided and Tesla slowly fell on his knees. His entire body was riddled with scorches and cuts that were bleeding, covering his whole body in blood.

"M-Master…Nnoi-tra." He weakly said before falling flat on his back. Kairi watched as his Resurrección dissipated, returning to his sword.

"I did it." She said, as her scepter returned to it's Keyblade form. "I won."

"Kairi!" She turned to see Orihime, Nel, and Ven running to her. "Are you alright. Are you injured." The former asked.

Kairi smiled in consideration. "I'm okay. Just a little tired."

Ven looked and saw Tesla's damaged stated. "Still, you really did a number on that guy. I didn't know you could do a Formchange."

"I was able to do it during my spar with Axel. However, because it uses so much magic, Merlin and Master Yen Sid instructed me to use it when necessary." Kairi confessed. "It's too bad I never had the chance to use it during our battle with Organization XIII."

"But still, you should feel proud that you were able to use you power to protect us." Nel said, smiling warmly at Kairi. "In the end, you heart won this battle, as Sora believed you would."

Kairi smiled before gasping as she looked over at Sora, who was using his good arm for support. When he saw Kairi, he proudly smiled at her, as if he was saying she did great. The red-haired smilied back before getting serious. "Now that he's finished, Sora and Ichigo need to be healed now."

They turned to see Ichigo picking Sora up, with his good arm for support. Ichigo looked exhausted while Sora looked barely conscious. Nel narrowed her eyes at their condition and said. "Orihime, you need to heal them before Nnoitra becomes involved."

"I'll help her." Ven declared as he looked at Orihime, who nodded and the two quickly rushed over to their friends. "Ichigo, Sora, don't move! I'll heal you." Orihime said.

The two looked at her and smiled. But then their smiles fell when they sensed someone behind him. Orihime stopped running as she looked at the person behind Ichigo and Sora in fear. Ven noticed to and gritted his teeth. Kairi saw what was going on and couldn't believe it. "No…it can't be." Nel narrowed her eyes in frustration.

Standing before them was none other than Nnoitra. The damage of the attack showed as the right side of his body was bruised and had a cut going across it. The fin from his uniform was gone and the upper-left side of his axe had been chipped off.

"You again." Ichigo said in disbelief. "But I thought Terra-"

"Terra." Ven cried. "Where's Terra!?"

From the ruined pillar, Terra groaned as he lifted a large piece of debris with his arm. "Who knew the result of our attacks would be this powerful." He got up and stretched his body before getting serious. "This is no time to be relaxing, I have to hurry." He said before dashing on ahead. "Everyone, hold on! I'm on my way!"

Back with the others, Nnoitra spotted a glance at Tesla. Lifting his head, Tesla saw his master looking at him in disgust. "I saw the whole damn thing Tesla. Getting beaten by a girl with little experience, you should be ashamed."

Tesla turned away in disgrace. He failed in his mission to defeat them and secure Orihime Inoue. How could he face his master again.

"No matter." Nnoitra said, lifting his axe. "I'll just have to clean up your mess." He then looked directly at Kairi.

"KAIRI!" Sora screamed as he tried to run, only to yell in pain as he fell to the ground. He said that his leg had been broken by Tesla earlier.

"Sora!" Ven yelled as he ran over to him. Ichigo, knowing Sora wouldn't make it, knew someone had to protect Kairi. "NO!" Using all his strength, he used Flash Step to appear in front of Kairi.

"Ichigo what are you…" Kairi asked confused.

"So, you wanna die to Soul Reaper." Nnoitra said. "Fine, then I'll kill you both!" Nnoitra grabbed his chain as he threw his Zanpakutō at the two.

"Ichigo! Kairi!" Orihime shouted in concern, running to them. Seeing the attack, Ichigo knew he had no energy left to perform another flash step. So, he wrapped his arms around Kairi, planning to take the attack for her. Nel was ready to use Sonido to pull them away, however beefore the axe could get to them...

" _Clang!"_

Someone appeared and knocked it back.

Nnoitra, Orihime, Nel, Ven, Sora and Kairi's eyes widened at the sight of this person.

"What's going on here?" Ichigo's eyes widened at the familiar voice. It couldn't be...

"You're in a real fix aren't you, Ichigo?" Ichigo turned around and gasp. He couldn't believe the person who saved him.

It was Kenpachi Zaraki.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: I hoped all of you enjoyed the changes I made with the moves I gave for Kairi, such as the Shotlocks and Formchange. I figured if she were to have a Formchange power, it would be flower themed like her Keyblade. I also made the Formchange more magic oriented since she seems more like a magic fighter, like Aqua. If you want to know how her Formchange works, think of it being similar to the Mirage Staff from the game.**_

 _ **Also, I looked online and read that Aqua's Spellweavier is more of a Formchange, so I included that and making it the same way for Terra's Dark Impluse. Like Riku, I feel that Terra is also capable of using dark techniques without being reliant on the darkness.**_ _ **I still plan to include the rest of the captains' battle. After all, they**_ _ **need some time to shine, but Riku will still fight Zommari on his own since I plan to add some other abilities to him.**_

 _ **Next Time: The captains arrive at last and bring the battle to the Arrancar. Meanwhile, Riku braces himself for his battle with an Espada.**_ _ **Please review and don't flame.**_


	17. The Captains Arrive at Last!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: I know it's been a long time, but I finally managed to get back to this story. I have more to say at the end but for now, enjoy this new chapter of my revision.**_

 _ **Also, I recommend that you read the previous chapters since I made so many changes to them. Chapters 1 and 2 are relatively the same but everything else is different.**_

 _ **(Cue 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 17: "The Captains Arrive at Last! Take Down the Espadas!"**_

Everyone remained silent as they looked at the person that had just rescued Ichigo and Kairi from Nnoitra's attack. While Ven was clueless, Sora and Nel could tell that he was a Soul Reaper, and the white haori he had on meant he was a Captain-Class Soul Reaper. Orihime however, looked surprised at his arrival.

"Ca-Captain Zaraki." Orihime breathed.

"You know who he is Orihime?" Ven asked, which she nodded. "His name is Kenpachi Zaraki. He's the captain of Squad 11. But I never expected him to be here."

" _Kenpachi Zaraki!_ " Sora thought. He remembered Aizen briefly discussed the remaining captains in the Soul Reapers a month ago. What was it about Kenpachi that he was supposed to be weary of again?

Meanwhile, Kairi also had no idea who Kenpachi was but Ichigo was just a speechless as Orihime. "Are you…really Kenpachi?"

Kenpachi just grunted in annoyance. "Huh!? You better hope that I am. Have they knocked you around so much that your brain is gone?" Then, the captain's attention was drawn over to Sora, who was still laying on the ground because of his broken leg.

"So…you're that Sora kid," the larger man said as he looked down at him. Then, grinned viciously. "Please to meet ya."

Suddenly, a very small, young girl popped out of the back of Kenpachi's haori. She has pink hair, dark pink eyes and a perpetual blush on her cheeks. She wears the normal Soul Reaper robes with a band on her arm that has the lieutenant's insignia. Her name is Yachiru Kusajishi, lieutenant of Squad 11.

She stared at Sora for a moment, before chirping, "Hey spiky! Nice to meet you!"

" _Spiky?_ " Sora thought of the nickname, though shook it off. Nnoitra, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, eyed Kenpachi closely, before thrusting his index finger into the sand, generating a luminous yellow trail that extended towards Kenpachi's direction. This was an advance form Pesquisa, which allows Nnoitra to gauge the amount of spiritual energy a person has. Now, it was telling him that this Soul Reaper held an immense amount of spirit energy.

Sensing Nnoitra's technique, Kenpachi looked over at the Espada. "So, you next?" Nnoitra remained silent, slightly cautious towards his opponent. "Come on! You're next right?"

Nnoitra wasn't the only one who sensed Kenpachi's power. Nel had used her Pesquisa to also determine this Soul Reaper's power. While his spirit energy was around Nnoitra's level, she couldn't help but noticed it was suppressed.

" _Whoever this Kenpachi Zaraki is, he's no ordinary fighter."_ Nel mentally noted.

Ichigo, wanting answers, asked, "K-Kenpachi, I don't get it, why are you here? Am I wrong? I thought the Soul Society had pulled out of this fight."

Kenpachi remained silent, responding with kicking Ichigo hard in the gut, knocking over to where Sora was. Said person nearly flinched when the Substitute Soul Reaper landed inches from him.

"Ichigo!" Orihime and Ven exclaimed.

Kairi, who was the closest to Ichigo, flinched before turning to the captain. "What's wrong with you! Can't you see he's injured!?" She asked incredulously.

"He was in the way." Kenpachi responded before looking at Ichigo. "Time to move. Stand aside!"

Ichigo recovered from that kick while he glared daggers at the one who kick him. Before he could say anything, Terra came running into view.

"Guys!" Terra shouted, worried about what Nnoitra would have done.

"Terra, you're okay!" Kairi said, relieved that he was safe from the Espada's attack, as were his other friends.

"I knew he wouldn't go down that easily." Ven stated, also relieved while Nel smiled. Terra came to a halt when he noticed the large, eyepatch wearing man.

"Who are you!?" Terra asked cautiously, assuming he might be hostile. Kenpachi merely grunted while Nel stepped up, not wanting to be any hostilities. "Don't worry. He's one of the Soul Reapers reinforcements. He's on our side"

" _At least…I hope._ " She mentally said, considering how he kicked Ichigo.

" _So, he's one of those Soul Reapers we've heard about?_ " Terra remembered that Master Yen Sid had gone to receive their aid in finding Sora.

"Hey kid!" Terra snapped out of his thoughts and saw Kenpachi gazing at him, before grinning. "You look strong. What your name?"

"It's Terra." He replied, though felt uncomfortable for some reason.

"That's enough!" Shouted Ichigo, seeing how everyone was getting off topic. "Tell me Kenpachi, how'd you get here? What's your story?"

"Kisuke Urahara." He replied, without turning to face him. Sora's eyes widen in surprise. That was the name of that hat and clog wearing man he saw in Karakura Town.

"And what does this person have to with it?" Nel asked, curiously.

"Seems like a while ago, he was given a bunch of orders from the old man. That was back when the showdown was set for winter." Kenpachi explained. "Kisuke was ordered to stabilize this underground cavern called Garganta. He was to make sure it was safe so that captain level personal could pass to Hueco Mundo. They expected it would take him three months to finish the job, but Kisuke claimed he'd be done with it in one month's time."

"Before he could carry out his assignment, your friend Orihime got snatched away." Orihime blushed in embarrassment. "Then we learned that a Keyblade Wielder from another world was lured here by Aizen." This time, Sora blushed as he chuckled sheepishly.

"If he was able to stabilize the Garganta, then that must be why Master Yen Sid and Mickey went to see him." Terra understood.

"I never knew that Soul Society had someone with this level of intellect." Nel stated, wondering if he could even outwit someone like Szayelaporro.

"Still, things ended well with Kisuke using you, your friends, and those Keyblade Wielders as perfect test subjects." Kenpachi said, causing Ichigo to become irked at being used like some guinea pig.

"Yeah! So Kenny's here because that cavern finally got fixed up! Isn't that great!?" Yachiru cheered, poking out of Kenpachi's back.

"A girl?" Terra raised an eyebrow.

"Kenny?" Sora questioned.

"Yachiru, you just keep your mouth shut!" Kenpachi scolded her.

* * *

Back with Aqua, she was preparing to hold off Szayelaporro while Pesche and Dondochakka carried Renji and Uryū to safety.

"Surely you don't believe that you have even the slightest hope of stopping me?" The Eighth Espada mocked.

"I've already seen all your abilities. As long as I avoid your tentacles, you have no chance of replicating one of those dolls for me." Aqua stated.

" _All_ my abilities." Szayelaporro chuckled. "Sorry, but I don't believe I have come close to showing you the fullest extent of my power."

From where they laid, Renji couldn't help but gnash his teeth in frustration. "I can't just lay here and do nothing while she risks her life for us. C'mon Uryū, let's…" Renji glanced and saw that Uryū's had a shock and surprise expression. Curious, the red-haired Soul Reaper looked at his direction and saw understood his expression, as he held it himself now.

Aqua also saw someone that caught her attention. "Who are-"

Szayelaporro, who also notice the spiritual energy of an unexpected guess, asked without turning, "Well now, who are you?"

* * *

The Sea-Salt trio got into their fighting stance, as Rudbornn pulled out his Zanpakutō. Xion glanced around at their new adversaries.

"I count twelve enemies we're dealing with." Xion stated.

"Twelve huh?" Roxas said. "If I do the math correctly, then that's four a piece for each of us."

Lea grinned. "You two can take on whoever. Let me deal with their boss over there."

"Talk all you want, for those will be the last words you will ever speak." Rudbornn declared as he prepared to advance on the trio. However, he and the others came to a halt when they detected two unknown presence.

"What the?" Lea exclaimed.

"Who are they?" Roxas asked, as Xion squinted her eyes to get a better view from the sand cloud that was obscuring them.

* * *

Rukia had been placed from the corner of the wall in a seating position. She was currently watching Riku battling the Espada Zommari. So far, the battle seem to be even, which impressed her that this human was fighting on equal grounds with an Espada, especially one ranked higher than the one she had fought before. Riku and Zommari were currently locked in a sword on sword brawl, with Riku using his Keyblade to strike Zommari, only for him to pair every blow he gave. Zommari took the chance to swing his Zanpakutō horizontally at Riku, who managed to duck on time.

"Got you!" Riku declared as he held Braveheart and went for a piercing blow on Zommari's chest, only for the Espada to bring his Zanpakutō on time to block the blow, barely. Riku gritted his teeth as he tried to use his strength to overpower Zommari, but the Espada stood his ground.

"You are off balance." He said, then his left arm back and dealt a strong right hook Riku's face, which sent the Keyblade Master flying.

"Riku!" Rukia exclaimed, however, the silver-haired boy recovered in time and slid across the floor. As he massaged his right cheek, he looked up and, to his shock, Zommari disappeared.

" _Where'd he go?!_ " Then, his sense were kicked into high alert as he raised his Keyblade, and reflexively spun around and barely blocked Zommari's sword strike.

"Most impressive." Zommari praised, "Your reaction time is remarkable to be able to keep up with my Sonido."

"I've had experience." Riku said, remembering having dealt with fast opponents like Xigbar, Xemnas, and his younger self.

"I see, you appear to be a seasoned warrior." The Espada said. "However, do not believe that you are capable of overpowering an Espada. Your fate was sealed the moment you came to Hueco Mundo. You and the Soul Reaper will pass on to the next world. And then, I will find Sora and kill him myself."

Riku narrowed his eyes as he felt Zommari was getting serious, assuming his fighting stance to prepare for any tricks. Rukia couldn't help but feel worried for Riku's safety but knew that she could not do much because of her injuries. However, before she could think of anything, her eyes widen as she felt a familiar presence entering the area. _Too familiar._

The two opponents also felt the presence of the new arrival, Riku looking over Zommari's shoulder while he looked through his peripherals.

* * *

Back with Kenpachi and the others, Ichigo, Orihime, Nel, and the Keyblade Wielders all detect the sudden appearance of other powerful individuals.

"There's more." Nel exclaimed. "I'm sensing three, six other spirit energies appearing."

"Who are they?" Ven asked.

"I recognize them. That's Byakuya's, Captain Unohana's." Ichigo said.

"They must be the other Soul Reapers." Sora said. "They all came here."

"I swear," Kenpachi said with annoyance. "I already said that I can more than handle this by myself." Then, smiling maniacally, he said, "No one hears or believes what I say.

"If they're with the Soul Society, then it looks like reinforcements arrived." Terra said, his voice filled with hope.

Kairi smiled. "Looks like the fights turning in our favor." Orihime also smiled with relief as well, their chances of surviving this battle was increasing by the second.

* * *

The Exequias and Sea-Salt Trio remained alert at the arrival of Unohana and the tall, woman next to her. She has gray eyes, messy silver-hair with strands on the right side of her face styled as two thin braids. She wears a thin dangling red earring on each ear and wore the standard Shinigami uniform with her lieutenant badge on her left arm. She is Isane Kotetsu, the lieutenant of Squad 4.

"Who do you think they are? Their reinforcements?" Lea questioned, remaining cautious of their sudden appearance.

Xion shook her head, "I don't think so. They look just as unsure about them as we do?" She said, noticing the Exequias looking at the Soul Reapers with apprehension.

Roxas looked at them closely, mainly their appearance. They didn't resemble the Arrancar, so they could only be…

"Do not worry. I assure we mean you or your allies know harm." Unohana assured Roxas, speaking in a gentle tone. That helped to ease Roxas' suspicion about them.

"I am Retsu Unohana. Squad 4 Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads." She said, introducing herself, Isane following. "And I am her Lieutenant: Isane Kotetsu."

* * *

Aqua closely observed Mayuri and a well-endowed woman standing behind him. She has green eyes and black hair with slightly parted bangs, pulled back into a long braid. Her wore a short black kimono which extends to mid-thigh, with a white nagajuban underneath. The sleeves mainly slim, with the upper parts puffed. She wears a traditional wide white obi, fastened with a red cord. On her left sleeve is her lieutenant's armband. She wears white gloves, which only cover the back of her hands and wrists, and a dark red choker. She is Nemu Kurotsuchi, the Lieutenant of Squad 12 and Mayuri's "Daughter".

"They don't look like they're with the Arrancar." Aqua noted. "Then, who are they?"

"That's Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his Lieutenant." Renji said, causing Aqua to turn to him. "He's Captain of Squad 12 and if he's here then that means the other captains aren't too far behind."

"Are you serious!?" Uryū asked in disbelief. "I was led to believe that the Soul Society wasn't going to get involved with this battle!"

Aqua listened carefully before returning her gaze to the captain and Espada. "I'm not sure what's happening, but hopefully he's on our side."

Meanwhile, Mayuri grinned at the Espada's question as he declared. "Who am I you ask? Why? I don't see any point in me answering such a question."

"What!" Szayelaporro said with his voice on edge.

* * *

"Exactly who are you? Speak up!" Zommari demanded to Byakuya, who continued to remain silent, not moving from his position.

The silver-haired boy was also curious at the new arrival to this battle. "I don't know who he is, but I can tell he's from the Soul Society."

"It's him." Riku turned and heard Rukia's whisper, seeing her with a small smile on her face.

"Byakuya. He came." Rukia whispered with relief and joy.

" _That guy's her brother?_ " Riku questioned. Though if that was true, then it confirmed that he is an ally after all.

"From your coat, I take it that you are a captain." Zommari observed, before introducing himself. "I am Zommari Rureaux. I am also known as Espada number 7." Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Now identify yourself intruder."

The Squad 6 captain remained silent for a moment, before stating, "I'll give you an answer. All of our identities are one; We are your enemies." Byakuya declared simply.

"I understand." Zommari replied.

* * *

"RRAAAGGGHHHH!" Nnoitra slammed his axe on top of Kenpachi, but the captain blocked the attack with his own Zanpakutō, sparks flying upon impact.

"So you finally attack." Kenpachi mocked, Nnoitra narrowing his eye. They both struggled for a moment, both of them trying to overpower the other. Kenpachi was able to repel the Espada's weapon, with Nnoitra jumping back in defense.

"Come on then." The captain challenged eagerly. "I've waited quite a while for this."

"Stop it, Kenpachi!" Ichigo exclaimed. "You can just jump into this fight"

"That's right." Sora agreed. "Besides, I still got a score to settle with him."

"And I was already fighting him earlier." Terra said.

Kenpachi glanced at the three and said, "Stay out of this! Besides, you two are both beat up!" He looked at both Ichigo and Sora, who were still laying on the sand all injured, then to Terra. "And you snooze you lose. If you wanted to keep fighting, yah should've finished him off earlier."

Terra grew agitated. "What was that!" Suddenly, he barely raised his armored arm in time to block Yachiru's kicks.

"Ha, Ha, Ha! Oh no you don't!" She squealed as she continued her onslaught, Terra gritting his teeth as he felt the force of her kicks.

" _What is she? She…so strong!"_ Terra thought, seeing his armor more dented than before.

"Hey, knock it off!" Ven shouted as Yachiru flipped on to the ground. "You're going to hurt him!"

"Still," Nel said, looking at the two injured heroes. "I know all of you have personal grudges against Nnoitra. However, the way you are now you will only get in Captain Zaraki's way."

"Greenie's right." Yachiru said, referring to Nel. "Ichi, Spiky, you have to stay out of this one." She said in a surprisingly serious tone before smiling. "Yep, because Kenny has that look on his face."

Everyone turned to see Kenpachi giving a thrilling smile as he did battle with Nnoitra. Ichigo knew that look all too well. Kenpachi was having fun feeling the thrill of fighting such a strong opponent. Sora also noticed that looked, and now remembered that Aizen told him that Kenpachi enjoyed seeking out worthy people to battle.

Yachiru ran and climbed on top a large rock, cheering. "Kenny! It's all good now!"

The captain turned to face her. "Yachiru! Stay right there." He said, which she nodded. "Right!"

Nnoitra, however, was scowling at Kenpachi's attitude. "You're mocking me!" He proclaimed, catching his attention. "I don't have time to play around with you clowns!" He pulled his axe back and, getting a good distance, lunged and attack Kenpachi, who blocked his blade once more.

"Hey, it's that the best that you got?" He mockingly questioned.

Chuckling sadistically, Nnoitra replied, "There's a lot that you haven't seen yet. Tell me your name, Soul Reaper?"

"Squad 11 Captain. Kenpachi Zaraki."

"I am Espada Number 5. Nnoitra Gilga!"

With that, both fighting loving warriors grinned and locked blades once more, their battle about to begin.

As they were fighting, Sora looked over to Ichigo, deciding to ask what was on his mind. "Hey Ichigo, do you think he has a chance against Nnoitra?"

Ichigo mused for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure. Unlike you, I haven't really seen most of Nnoitra's abilities. However, I will say that beating someone like Kenpachi is very difficult. Believe me, I know." Ichigo sighed, remembering the trouble he had fighting him the first time. An unpleasant experience he never wanted to relive again.

"For now though, we should leave Nnoitra to him." Nel said, walking over to the others. "In the meantime, we should take this chance to heal both of you."

"That's right. Aizen's bound to have noticed the Soul Reapers. Meaning he might send more reinforcements of his own." Terra agreed, adding. "We'll need you two to be ready when the actual battle begins."

Sora hated finally helpless but knew he and Ichigo were in no shape to fight. And with Ulquiorra returning soon, he needs to be at his strongest to fight him, Starrk, and Aizen.

"You're right." Sora said, getting serious. "Orihime, heal both Ichigo and me. And can you also fix Terra as well." He said to her.

Orihime nodded, also realizing the seriousness of the situation. "Right. Give me a minute."

Kairi looked at the orange-haired girl curiously. "Can you really heal both of them quickly?" Orihime looked at Kairi, then gave a smile as she nodded.

"Orihime possess incredible powers." Nel revealed, having seen her abilities firsthand. "Perhaps a demonstration will clarify it."

* * *

Back with the Sea-Salt Trio, they stood on the side as they watched Unohana speaking with Rudbornn and the Exequias. For a couple of minutes, she was trying to convince them to retreat, stating they only intended to heal the wounded. While Roxas hoped it would be enough for them to withdraw, he had his Keyblades ready increase a fight were to breakout.

"I would strongly suggest that you stand down." Unohana advised Rudbornn firmly. "We are here only to heal everyone's wounds. We have no intention of fighting you."

The leader of the Exequias remained cautious as she continued. "We come here in peace, but with a purpose. As long as you do not impede our efforts, we have no intention of interfering with you."

"it is your decision." Unohana said in a warning tone. Rudbornn stayed silent, carefully contemplating his choices. "It certainly appears that a very sensible captain stands before us. I'm convinced of that."

The Keyblade Wielders and Soul Reapers remained silent. While Rudbornn silently admitted that he hated the idea of retreating against the enemy, he knew full well that they would be fighting a losing battle. He could tell that the captain that stood before him was more powerful than she appeared, and those Keyblade Wielders looked more formidable themselves, especially if they were as powerful as Sora. Rudbornn knew they stood no chance against them and if they were gone, Las Noches would be left defenseless.

Begrudgingly, he ordered his men, "Fall Back." With that, he led the Exequias away, vowing to return, when their numbers increased.

Isane gasped in surprise, not expecting the enemy to comply with them. Lea was feeling the same.

"Wait!" "Hey, get back here!" Isane and Lea yelled respectively as the Exequias used Sonido, disappearing.

"That is enough." They heard Unohana's order. The captain then looked at her Lieutenant. "Isane, you know full well that our task here is not to spill blood but to keep it from being spilled. We will not pursue those who chose to run away."

Isane nodded, feeling embarrassed for forgetting her duty. Lea sighed, though complied. "Yeah, I got. Besides, not really manly attacking people who're running away."

"And she's right. If we had fought now, those two would have in greater danger." Roxas said, looking over at Chad and Gantenbianne. "Better we heal them first before going to battle."

Xion walked over to Unohana. "Thank you for helping, Captain Unohana was it?" She smiled sweetly and replied. "That is correct. And I believe you are Xion?"

The black-haired girl was certainly surprised. "How did you-" "Before we departed to Hueco Mundo, Master Yen Sid was kind enough to show us photos of your appearance. He felt it would make it easier for us to identify you."

Unohana then looked at the other boys. "I suppose you two are Roxas and Lea. Am I correct?"

Lea nodded. "Well that makes introductions shorter. I guess this means that you two are on our side, right?"

The Squad 4 captain nodded. "As I said before, we mean all of you no harm. I was informed that there are more of you, correct?"

Roxas nodded. "We all got separated. However, with what's been going on, I'm sure they must all be fighting the Espadas."

"That means the other captains should be joining them soon." Isane said.

Xion looked over at them, then said, "Please. Can you two help us find our friends?"

"We'll do what we can." Isane reassured. Unohana also nodded before glancing over at the unconscious duo. "But first we must heal both of them. Chad and that Arrancar."

* * *

"Arrancar. Arrancar. Arrancar. Espada" Mayuri slowly said before chuckling with glee, Szayelaporro narrowed his eyes at the mocking laughter of the Soul Reaper before him.

"How fantastic. Hueco Mundo is a treasure trove of riches." He then looked past the Eighth Espada and noticed Aqua, along with her Keyblade. "Riches indeed."

"I don't get it." Uryū questioned. "What are you doing here Mayuri? It doesn't add up."

Mayuri hummed in ignorance while the Espada was intrigued by their exchange. "So Quincy, is this someone you know?"

Before Uryū could answer, Mayuri interjected. "Know this man? Hardly. I will never know such an inferior being."

Hearing his comment irked Uryū. "What was that you said!?"

Ignoring the Quincy, Mayuri stated. "The fact is there aren't very many Quincies around. However, in spite of that, I find them to be of no great value or interest to me at this time." Mayuri then paused as he looked at Aqua once more. "At the moment though, what has caught my interest are the Keyblade Wielders. And I happen to be fortunate enough to have them all gathered together."

Aqua then remembered what Mickey and Yen Sid explained. "I believe King Mickey and Master Yen Sid informed you of who we are?" She assumed.

"That rodent and old wizard. They mentioned a thing or two but what I was focused on was the boy named Sora. I just can't wait for the experiments I'm going to conduct!" Mayuri said, laughing in amusement, which caused Aqua to both feel creeped out and mad. Who was he? Szayelaporro's long lost brother?

"Tell me captain, are you here to help us or not!" Aqua demanded. However, Mayuri scoffed at her question.

"Help YOU. I see no reason I should help you stragglers. You got yourselves into this mess. Get out of it yourselves." Mayuri retorted, causing Aqua and Uryū to become infuriated.

"I see! So you came all this way just to insult us!" The Quincy accused.

"I thought it was your job to protect people!" Aqua exclaimed in disbelief. However, they heard shifting from the rubble and turned to see Pesche and Dondochakka jumping out of it, landing on the ground as they struck a pose.

"TA-DA! (The Great Desert Brothers/Three Brothers of the Burning Sands) Two out of Three (Are back and ready to roll/Are back in this episode again)." They said, completely out of synch.

Uryū and Renji were dumbfounded at their display, giving an 'are you kidding me look'. While Aqua just pinched the bridge of her nose in disbelief. Though she did ask. "When did they even disappear?"

"You guys! Tell us, what were you fighting about while we were gone?" Pesche asked, pointing a finger at them. "And you're not to convincing, trying to act strong while you're all beat up Ichigo. I mean Uryū."

"Will you stop talking about me." Uryū sighed, annoyed. "You look just as beaten up as I do."

"We're all in bad shape right now." Aqua said, recalling Uryū and Renji having had several of their organs destroyed, and the beating she took to keep them safe. "I can heal my own wounds, but as for you two…" Aqua trailed off as she realized she had no way of fully healing them. Cure only heals superficial wounds, bruises and restores stamina, it couldn't repair lost organs.

"We know someone that might be able to help us." Renji said, knowing what Aqua was thinking and knew that Orihime had the better chance of healing them.

"That's right. But the problem is we're not even sure where she is. Or if Ichigo found her first." Uryū pointed out.

"Remember, Szayelaporro isn't just going to let us slip away." She said, before looking at Pesche and Dondochakka. "Pesche, Dondochakka, apart from me, your both are uninjured as well. We're going to have to protect Renji and Uryū."

"Don't yah worry! Just leave it to us!" Dondochakka proclaimed.

"After all, I'm still strong enough to pound him like a drum. GOT THAT URYU!" Pesche exclaimed.

"You sound much worse!" Renji deadpanned, while Aqua let out an exasperated sigh.

The Eighth Espada merely smiled smugly as he faced off against Mayuri. "Now answer me, who exactly are you?" Szayelaporro paused for a moment, then closed his eyes. "On second thought, why am I asking your name? After all, no matter what, I will crush you. Finding out your name will really be a waste of time."

"Oh really!" Mayuri said, looking off on one side. "And yet I'm thinking it could end up being quite a problem if I don't get your name."

"Why is that?" The Eighth Espada asked.

"Why? Only an idiot would ask that. It should be rather obvious why?" Turning towards his opponent, Mayuri concluded. "So that when I stuff you into a jar, I'll be able to write your name on the label."

Szayelaporro narrowed his eyes an amusement, eager to give this Soul Reaper the same fate as the other three.

* * *

Back in Aaroniero's chamber, after Byakuya spoke his words to the Seventh Espada, he focused his attention on the Keyblade Wielder before him.

"Tell me, are you the Keyblade Master, Riku?" The Squad 6 captain asked. Riku was slightly surprised though nodded. "I am. How did you know that?"

"The Sorcerer, Yen Sid, informed me of your identities, as well as your mission to Hueco Mundo." Byakuya informed. "Under the Head-Captain's orders, we are to be allies for the duration of the war."

" _Allies? Well, with how powerful these Espada are, we may need all the help we can get."_ Riku noted inwardly. Byakuya then looked at Rukia, noticing her condition. Then, before Riku or Zommari could react, Byakuya disappeared in a flash. Riku looked around until he turned and saw that Byakuya had appeared by Rukia's side.

" _So fast!"_ Riku thought while Zommari just watched, his expression hardening. Rukia stared at her brother before looking down in shame.

"Br-Brother," She whispered, "I'm sorry. I couldn't-"

"Try not to speak." He advised. "You could reopen your injuries." Rukia saw that her wounds were still not fully healed. She nodded and remained quiet.

Byakuya then faced Zommari, "I have a question for you. Were you in the middle of fighting these two."

"No." Zommari replied. "I fought the Keyblade Wielder; however, I did not fight her. Nonetheless, had I not been interrupted, I would have delivered the blow that would have finished her."

Byakuya stayed silent, before saying, "Were you?" Though he remained stone faced, Riku and Rukia could feeling the threatening tone in his voice. Before he could do anything, Riku stepped forward.

"Hold on just a moment," Riku stepped between the Soul Reaper Captain and Espada. "If you don't mind captain, I'll be taking him on first. Don't interfere."

Rukia certainly looked shocked at the silver-haired boy's declaration while Byakuya remained in passive. "What reason would you have for facing an Espada?"

"For one thing, I was already battling him before you showed up. Besides," Riku gave Zommari a hardened glare. "I can't just leave, not after what he said." He remembered what Zommari said, that he will kill Sora after he was through with them.

Zommari was able to deduce what he meant. "You will be the first to fight me. Before you do, know this. If you intend to rescue Sora, then it is pointless. He will meet his fate by Lord Aizen."

"You be quiet!" Riku yelled. "I promised that I would find Sora, and I will. Then, it will be Aizen who meets his fate, for everything he's done."

Rukia stared at Riku, learning more about him despite them having just. Though he looked serious, he has the same desire to protect the people that matter to him, much like Ichigo.

In a way, Byakuya also made the same connection. Closing his eyes, he said, "Do what you will. However, if the Espada proves too much for you, I will step in."

" _This will also show me how powerful the Keyblade truly is."_ He mentally said.

Riku smirked. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him." Then, he summoned the Braveheart Keyblade and got into his fighting stance. Zommari remained still before holding up his Zanpakutō.

"Very well then. I will show you the futile of your efforts." Zommari stated.

"Futile? Just what do you mean?" Suddenly, Riku's aura turned dark and melted into the shadows, disappearing in a flash. This was his " _Dark Roll!"_ technique.

"Hmm?" Zommari looked puzzled until Riku appeared right behind him. Rearing his Keyblade back, he made to strike the Espada. However, to Riku's surprise, Zommari used Sonido, but when he did, another version of him appear behind the silver haired Keyblade master.

"This is what I mean." The second Zommari, said striking Riku, who barely reacted in time to block the attack with his Keyblade. Though the strength behind it sent Riku sliding across the floor.

" _There's two of him? How was he able to do that?"_ Riku mentally asked.

"As before, your speed and reaction time are outstanding." Zommari lightly praised. "That Captain-Class Soul Reaper addressed you as Master, did he not?"

"Yeah, he did." Riku replied. "It's the highest rank a Keyblade Wielder can attain. Showing how far they have come with their Keyblade."

"I see. And while your abilities displayed have shown your worth, and your fighting instincts are quite superb. However, as developed as your skills are, they are still at a Human's level." Zommari said.

Riku hardened his expression. "I'll show you that I'm more than just a normal human." With that, Riku charged and his and Zommari blades clashed, releasing a powerful burst of energy that shook the whole room. Rukia screamed as she barely held on while Byakuya remained unaffected.

Once the shock settled, Riku jumped back, using Dark Roll to build speed. Riku then lunged forward and slammed his Keyblade against Zommari's Zanpakutō. They both engaged in a brief sword duel, however the Zommari clone appeared and made to pierce Riku's back. But he already anticipated such a trick.

" _Dark Barrier!"_ Riku waved his hand and formed a dark spherical barrier around him, which repelled both Zommaris, and caused the clone to fade away. The original recovered and used Sonido to vanish once more.

"That won't work again!" Riku sensed Zommari appear behind him but disappeared when he swung back. He appeared on Riku's right, though vanished he attacked once more. He them appeared on the left, but the similar thing happened. Soon, Riku saw himself surrounded as Zommari used Sonido to appear all around him.

"He's so fast!" Rukia exclaimed, growing concerned. She then looked up at her brother. "Byakuya, are you-" She paused when she noticed him watching the battle in silence, observing everything that was happening. Rukia looked and saw Riku closing his eyes, deeply concentrating.

" _I have to remember my training. Don't try aim where he is. If I concentrate, I might be able to predict his next move."_ Riku began to feel Zommari's rhythm, from the movement of his feet to the times he appeared. Then, he spotted him, his eyes snapping wide.

"NOW! _Dark Firaga!"_ Riku waved his Keyblade and launched a series a dark fireballs at Zommari, who saw the attack and was soon struck by it, engulfing him in a small explosion.

" _BOOM!_ "

Rukia looked in awe at Riku's display, impressed by his skills. Byakuya had to admit that the boy possessed skills, but it wouldn't be enough to simply overcome the Espada. Riku mainly stood and watched the smoke cloud, trying to see if Zommari was damaged by it. He got his answer when Zommari used to appear before him.

"Not that again!" Riku jumped back as he dodge another Zommari from striking him from behind. "Just how are you doing that?!"

" _Gemelos Sonido!"_ They both replied in unison. "Among all the Espada, my Sonido is the fastest." The clone faded as the original continued. "And by adding a small step, I've created something else. Something that resembles a pseudo-clone."

"So that's how you can make those clones." Riku realized, understanding how his Sonido works.

"I didn't think an Arrancar's Sonido could be this powerful." Rukia breathed.

"Much like you Keyblade Wielders, you can say I am playing with magic." Zommari said. "Magic is a skill that astounds the observer. So, think yourself amazed by what you see. Because it will happen to fast."

"Believe me, I've already dealt with more advance magic than those parlor tricks you displayed." Riku stated from experience. "Besides, a mistake you made was revealing your own trick, instead of leaving me guessing."

" _Airstep!"_ Riku appeared before Zommari in a flash, slashing him across the chest. However, Riku already knew it was a copy, as the real Zommari appeared behind him.

"I told you I already figured your technique out!" Riku then slashed the other Zommari across the chest. He smirked as he saw them go down. " _That's two of them."_

"Too bad for you," Riku gasped as Zommari appeared through Sonido, "That Gemelos Sonido is not limited to five bodies."

"I kind of had a feeling about that." Zommari gasped as Riku spun around and fired a dark beam that pierced through Zommari. This was his " _Dark Blast!"_ Technique.

However, Riku's eyes snapped wide as he sensed appear Zommari, "Gemelos Sonido does have a maximum,"

"of five bodies." A second Zommari said, as both stabbed Riku from the front and back of his torso.

Rukia covered her mouth in shock. "No! RIKU!" She screamed as she tried to get up, but fell back, clutching her chest in pain.

"I told you to rest. Your wounds have still not recovered." Her brother reprimanded before Rukia gave her a pleading look. "Brother please, you have to go and help him. I'm sure you're more than capable of defeating that Espada after observing his techniques."

"Do not jump to conclusion to rashly." He said, causing Rukia to stop. "The battle is never determined until your opponent is truly dead. Remember that."

Rukia said nothing, merely looking back as the Zommari clone vanished, leaving the original who still pressed his Zanpakutō against Riku's back.

"Farewell, Keyblade Master Riku." Zommari said in a final tone. "Your defeat was caused, by the arrogant act of challenging an Espada."

 _Flash_

Zommari gasped as Riku suddenly vanished from where he was. Then, to his shock, Riku appeared a few inches behind him.

"Afterimages." Riku explained. "A technique I've been practicing for a whole month. It was to prepare against adversaries with similar abilities to yours." Riku thought of Xigbar, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort, people with mastery over warping.

"Amazing. To think he could perform such a feat." Rukia said in awe.

Byakuya lightly nodded. "Observe closely, Rukia. Watching a battle between stronger warriors can help you prepare for future battles."

Zommari continued to glare as Riku continued speaking. "Honestly, that was the first time I used it. Though, I'm glad it worked out." He then return the glare and said. "You mentioned before how you thought I was being arrogant for believing I, a human, couldn't match up to an Arrancar. Well, I could say the same about you, because you arrogantly underestimated me several times, believing I was a inferior being."

"Well, I'm about to prove you wrong! _**Shotlock Max: Dark Aura!**_ " Riku rose and, with immense speed, charged straight at the Espada. Zommari crossed blades with him before Riku disappeared, appearing behind him. Zommari used Gemelos Sonido to counter Riku, but he parred his attack. Then, Riku began rushing at the Espada repeatedly in all direction while keeping count of the copies Zommari created.

" _That was four."_ Riku noted inwardly. _"Which means the last one should right now!_ " Riku and Zommari crossed blades, though Riku's aura grew more. Then, he plunged Braveheart into the ground, releasing columns of energy radially that struck all the Zommari copies.

"Found you!" Riku then appeared and struck the real Zommari, slashing him cross the chest. Riku smirked as the Seventh Espada staged back, clutching his wound with his free hand. He then glared at Riku as he said, "Like before, you shouldn't have told me about how many copies you could make. You were too arrogant. And your arrogance, will be why you'll lose to me!"

Silence filled the room. Zommari looked at the Keyblade Master with great contempt. Calling him arrogant was…an outrage.

"What a funny thing to say. I'm arrogant? Now what makes you believe that?" The Espada said as Riku took his stance. "You are an enemy. Despite the fact that you are human, I still view you as an equal. Sora, your comrade, proved himself a formidable warrior when he overpowered Nnoitra, an Espada ranked higher than me. He went on to defeat a Captain-Class Soul Reaper."

Rukia couldn't help but feel impressed. While she heard that he defeated Captain Hitsugaya, she didn't expect him to defeat a higher ranked Espada. Just how powerful is he?

"If you are near Sora's prowess, then you should also be of Captain-Class." Zommari stated. "And I have conducted myself in that manner. I am not an arrogant being."

"That's real funny." Riku said, catching Zommari's attention. "You say you see me as an equal, but so far, you've underestimated everything I've done throughout our battle. Tipping you own hand at your abilities was one of the signs. You only did that because you thought you had killed me already, yet I continue to catch you by surprise." His eyes set, Riku then said, "Also, viewing me as an equal is another show of your arrogance."

Though he looked unaffected, Zommari's disdain towards Riku slowly began to grow. "It would seem your arrogance rivals that of the Soul Reapers. Very well then, prepare to meet your fate."

Riku saw Zommari widening his stance. Then, he let go of his Zanpakutō, which surprisingly levitated in front of him, horizontally. Then, he clasps his hands together. What he did next shocked Riku and Rukia. Zommari began twisting his head until it's perpendicular to the rest of his body, before taking a bracing stance.

Riku and Byakuya looked with caution. What was he up to? Rukia however, looked fearful, as she knew what he was doing. She felt a similar presence from when she battled Aaroniero.

" _Subside! Brujería!_ "

Upon those words, his sword began bending, forming the shape of an edged spiral. Once it had gotten in that shape, thick white smoke started emitting from the corners of the spiral and soon covered his entire body. When it did, it transformed into a thick, white, foamy liquid that, to Rukia's and Byakuya's knowledge, was mixed with the Espada's Spirit Energy.

"What's going on? What's he doing?" Riku asked the two Soul Reapers, seeing their familiarity was the situation.

"Riku, be careful! He's entered his Resurrección! It was Arrancar's enter to release their full power!" Rukia warned.

Byakuya added, "Remain cautious, Keyblade Wielder. The true battle begins now."

A stronger form. Riku took that in mind as the liquid began to dissipate. When it cleared, Zommari's appearance was revealed. His arms and upper body was covered in white armor with dozens of eyes marked. His lower body was replaced by a pink pumpkin-like structure, surrounded by cyclopean faces that somewhat resembled the Espada's face. His neck is covered in a skull-shaped neck brace with an open eye in the front. Black markings also appear on his face in the form of two downward triangles originating from his eyes. Another five triangular markings appear under his mouth, forming what looks like a beard.

" _This is an Espada's Resurrección. I can already feel that his power has already increased."_ Riku carefully observed Zommari's next move. The Espada waves his arms forward, holding his hand up. Riku saw an eye on each of his palms. What were those eyes for?

Suddenly, Riku noticed the pupil in Zommari's left hand grow big as the whole eye glowed purple. Without warning, Riku used Dark Roll and appeared behind Zommari. Whatever he was planning, Riku wasn't going to stand there and take it. However, Riku saw that nothing was shooting out of his hand. That was odd.

" _What's he doing? Why hasn't anything happened?"_ Riku thought. " _I know he was planning an attack."_

"You're very jumpy." Riku snapped out of his thoughts as Zommari spoke. "You expected me to amount an attack of some kind but surprisingly nothing happened."

Rukia also looked confused at the scene. "I don't understand. What did the Espada do? Did his attack miss or was it a deception?"

"No." The petite girl looked at her brother, who watched what had happened.

"Now you are wondering if my threats are empty. It make sense." The Espada said to Riku, before forming a crude smile. "Unfortunately for you, they're real."

"Wah?" Riku looked in shock and saw that on his left leg, a sun-shaped mark was placed on it.

"Your left leg now belongs to me." The Espada declared.

"What have you done!?" Riku tried to move it, but to his horror, he found himself unable to.

"All things are subject to control in this life." Zommari explained. "The servants are under the control of their superiors. The masses are under the control of their king. Clouds are under the control of the wind. The light of the moon is under the control of the sun."

"The power of my Brujería is to control whatever my eyes stares at." He revealed. "I call this power _Amor_ and you will now experience it."

" _Under his control_?" Riku looked at his left leg, gazing at the mark. No. it couldn't-

"You still appear to be confused I see." The Espada deduced. "I sympathize with your predicament. It must be frustrating to try and grasp this concept with a limited intellect. Though you don't get, your body will experience the full affect."

"Let me demonstrate. Left leg come to me." With a small gesture, Riku saw his left leg slowly moving on its own.

"No! I won't let you." Riku gnashed his teeth as he tried to stop his leg, but it wouldn't respond to him.

"It is meaningless to resist." Zommari said. "Your control does not extend to that limb." With another gesture he said, "Now then, another step forward."

When his leg took one more step, Riku knew he had to act quickly. He pointed his Keyblade at his leg. "NOW! STOPZA!" With a flash, Riku used Stop magic to freeze his leg in place.

"Hmmm?" Zommari looked intrigued at what Riku did. The spell he cast on his left leg prevented him from moving it.

"How astonishing. You used your magic to bind your leg in place, preventing it from being used. It really was your only move. I am now unable to control that appendage."

Riku glared at the Espada with anger. " _My leg should be frozen for ten minutes. I have to beat him fast before he controls more of my body."_

"Excellent. A decision of swift action. Alright then, lets try something else." Through his peripherals, Zommari looked back at the two Soul Reapers, who had been watching the battle. However, Riku's and Byakuya's eye widened when they saw the eyes set on a specific target: Rukia.

Rukia saw the eyes glow purple and knew what the Espada was planning, but her injuries weighed her down. However, to her surprise, Byakuya appeared and blocked the attack with his own hand.

"Byakuya!" Rukia exclaimed, worried of what would happen to him.

Using Airstep, Riku appeared before the two. "Are you two alright?!"

Rukia nodded. "I'm alright, but Byakuya…" They turned and saw the same sun-shape mark appear on his hand.

"A bold move captain. Sacrificing your hand to save your subordinate. A noble effort on your part." Zommari praised. "One that will cost you your life."

Byakuya gave the Espada a heated glare, one that surprised Rukia, as she had rarely seen her brother show contempt.

"Damn you." He cursed the Espada. Before Riku could move, everyone soon heard panting from down the corridor.

"Finally I caught up with you. That was pretty mean to leave me behind Captain Kuchiki. I told you before, I wasn't any good at using Flash Step." The person soon stopped beside Byakuya, catching his breath. It was short male with blue eyes and chin-length black hair, with bangs framing the side of his face. He wears a standard shihakushō, with a medical kit worn over his shoulder. He is Hanatarō Yamada, the 7th seat of Squad 4.

"This has been a terrible experience. I'm not very fast and I was so hungry. And I felt uncomfortable in this strange building and," Riku heard the young Soul Reaper ramble on about his complaints while a just gave him a deadpan look.

"He's…quite a character." He said, with Rukia chuckling. "That's Hanatarō Yamada of Squad 4. Though I'm surprised to see him here."

Hanatarō glanced over and noticed Rukia on the ground. "Ms. Rukia!" He then noticed her semi-closed wound on her chest. "You're injured! What happened to you! Ms. Rukia are you alright!?" Without even taking two steps, Hanatarō slipped on the ice and fell.

Riku sweat dropped while Rukia sighed, though smiled at his consideration towards her. "I'm fine Hanatarō. Don't worry about me. If it wasn't for Riku, I may have been in worse condition." Hanatarō looked up and noticed Riku, looking at him.

Hanatarō let out a yelp. "W-Who are you?"

"You just noticed me now?" Riku sighed. "My name is Riku, Keyblade Master."

"Keyblade Master?" Hanatarō pondered that title before remembering, "Oh! You must be one of those Keyblade Wielders that we were informed of!"

" _I'm guessing we're no longer a secret from the Soul Society."_ Riku knew that they had to protect the world order, but since these Soul Reapers knew of their existence, then it's not like they broke the rules.

"It's an honor to meet you sir." He said while bowing.

"Likewise and you can just call me Riku." The Keyblade Master said.

"He is quite a chatterbox. Is he one of your subordinates?" Zommari asked.

Rather than answer, Byakuya faced the three behind him. "Hanatarō Yamada and Keyblade Master Riku." The two stood when their names were called.

"Yes Captain!?" "What is it?" Hanatarō and Riku said respectively.

"Stay back." He ordered. While Riku looked surprised, Hanatarō's hurriedly complied. "Y-Yes! I'm moving back right now! I'm very sorry sir! I'm in the way aren't I!?"

"Hold on!" Riku barked. "I said that I was going to be the one who defeats the Espada!"

"You have done enough." The Soul Reaper Captain stated. "And given you leg, you cannot hope to continue this battle."

Riku still wasn't planning to back down. "Don't count me out as being helpless just yet! I can…" His argument came to a halt when Byakuya began releasing an immense amount of spirit energy, which caused the whole room to shake. Hanatarō and Rukia barely held on while Zommari and Riku remained unaffected.

"Let me make myself very clear." He said in a calm yet stern tone. "I will say it once more. You have to stay back. I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to fight, without getting you involved."

Riku looked at Byakuya before closing his eyes, sighing. "Fine."

"Don't worry Riku. I'm sure that my brother is more than enough to defeat that Espada." Rukia assured without a hint of doubt.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chad's and Gantenbainne's injuries were being tended to by Unohana, Isane, and Xion. Roxas and Lea opted to take over as guards increase any enemies came to attack the group.

"Roxas, Axel, see anyone?" Xion asked as she continued using her healing magic on the two. Roxas shook his head. "No sign of any of those Hollows or Arrancars. It should make things easier for you three."

"How're they holding up?" Lea asked. Isane smiled and replied, "Don't worry. Both of them appear to have stabilized now."

Xion sighed in relief. "That's good news. They were in such bad shape that I was worried we would have lost them."

"If we had been any later with our treatment, then we might have." Unohana pointed out before giving Xion a soft smile. "I must say that your abilities in healing magic is very outstanding to say the least."

Xion felt proud and humble at her compliment. "Well I have been training since the month began to help my friends when they are injured. A Keyblade Master named Aqua has also helped me improve."

"Still your healing magic is very impressive." Isane happily assured her. "If you were in our squad, you might have the potential of being a seated officer."

"Xion is great. Her magic skills have always been in asset to us since our time working together." Roxas compliment, which caused Xion to blush.

"Hey, now's not the time to go chatting off. We've gotta keep a look out for more of those mask freaks." Lea told them off.

"Since when did you take your job seriously." Roxas teased, causing Lea to glare at him.

"Ahem." The four turned to the Squad 4 Captain, who had a serious look on her face. "Lea speaks the truth. You all need to know that we're not home, we are in Hueco Mundo. We have to remained ourselves that we are in the middle of enemy grounds. There's no telling what might happen, so we have to be on guard."

The four nodded and Xion and Isane continued their treatment while Roxas and Lea stood guard. Suddenly, they all jolted when they sensed an immense amount of spirit energy surging.

"Whoa! What's that!?" Lea asked.

"It's Captain Kuchiki." Isane said before asking. "Captain, can you feel it?"

"Yes, but it's not only his spiritual pressure." Unohana then said, "Captain Kurotsuchi and Captain Zaraki have also begun to fight."

Xion heard what they said and realized. "If they're fighting then that means that our friends may not be that far behind after all."

Roxas nodded. "Yeah. I can feel it. Riku, Terra, Aqua, and…Sora." He smiled at the last name.

If everyone's out there fighting, then those Espada must be pretty tough customers." Lea said.

"I can feel that the three of them have their spiritual pressures operating at full strength." Unohana said about her fellow captains. "They are severely challenged. That's the kind of danger they face with the Espada."

""I'm worried. Will they be alright Captain?" Isane asked, concerned.

Unohana, though looked unsure, said, "Let's have faith. I'm sure they're up for the job. That's what they are trained for. When they are done, we'll heal their injuries. After all, that's what we're trained for." She finished, referring to herself and Isane.

"You two maybe but not me." Everyone looked at Lea who stared off into the distance, where everyone was doing battle. "I ain't just gonna stand around while everyone else risks their own necks fighting. I'm going out there."

"I know how you feel." Roxas assured his friend. "I want to help Sora and the others as well. But first we have to see this through. At least, that's what Sora would do." Lea looked at the still unconscious Chad and Gantenbainne, realized that Sora would try to help them regardless of any reason.

"Fine, you win." Lea said, sighing. Xion gave her best friend a determined look. "Don't worry. Once these two are healed up, then we'll go and help our friends."

"If all goes well, then we can support our comrades in any way." Unohana proclaimed as she, Isane, and Xion resumed their treatment.

* * *

Back in Aaroniero's palace, Byakuya prepared himself to face the Seventh Espada, who proceeded to slowly lift his left hand, inches away from his neck. Hanatarō gasped when he noticed what was happening.

"Captain, are you alright!?" He cried while Riku and Rukia grew concerned, knowing Zommari's ability. Riku wondered what Byakuya had planned to stop his control. His question was answered when Byakuya, without hesitating, sliced his left forearm, while not severing it completely, gushed a large amount of blood to gush out.

"AAHHHH!" Hanatarō screamed while Rukia covered her mouth in shock and Riku looked surprised at the Squad 6 Captain's action.

"He…cut his own arm?" Riku mumbled, not sure what to make of that. Zommari also looked intrigued at Byakuya's decision, seeing his left arm go limp.

"I see. You severed the muscles and tendons from your left arm, leaving me unable to control that appendage." Zommari noted. "Much like Riku, your decision was also one of swift action. I must praise you both for your sacrifices. Once those objects were out of your control, you both immediately regarded them as enemies and disabled them. Even though they were part of your own bodies."

" _I wouldn't say enemies, but if they were more helpful to you then it was the right call._ " Riku noted as he and Hanatarō watched closely, with Rukia laying on the ground inches from them.

"So coldly analytical. An impressive display of detachment in the face of painful choices." Zommari looked over at Byakuya. "However, that detachment, in my view, seems dangerously rash." Byakuya however, responded with silence, not wanting to give this Espada any form of acknowledgement. "Of your four limbs, only your right arm and both legs remain functional, while only Riku's left leg is incapacitated. Under the circumstances, yourself and Riku display a high level of arrogance. Considering your disabilities, challenging an Espada is a highly irrational act."

"It would be wise if you chose to have Riku fight at your side." Zommari advised. "I would not think less of you if you both chose to challenge me at once. That option must be apparent, even to you."

Riku overheard and exasperatedly stated. "Are you saying that you want to fight us both by yourself!? Now whose being arrogant?"

"Regardless of my condition," Byakuya interjected. "The gap between our powers is as great as Heaven and Earth. But it's tedious to explain, considering your arrogance. It's true we both discarded one of our limbs, but even so you are still not my equal. In fact, the Keyblade Master has also proven that his power still puts yours to shame."

Though stone-faced, Zommari grew enraged at the Captains remark. "How unfortunate. I thought that you might listen to reason, but you appear to have less understanding of your abilities than I first thought. But there was something I forgot to tell you when I explained myself. These eyes of mine have fairly unique and specific powers. They control one object for each eye."

Riku and Byakuya quickly realized what Zommari meant. "I'm glad you both realized so quickly what that means. Earlier, I released Amor using only two of my eyes. Which means I have the power to control something else."

" _Two eyes! Aside from Byakuya's left arm, the only thing that could have been on sight was?"_ Riku jolted as he came to a realization. He turned and saw Hanatarō preparing to pick Rukia up.

"Don't worry Ms. Rukia. Let me help you." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. Riku knew that he was in trouble.

"HANATARŌ, STAND BACK!" Riku screamed.

 _Slash_

Hanatarō hardly had time to comprehend what happened before seeing that Rukia had slashed him across his torso. Rukia looked horrifically at what she did as Riku saw the sun-shape tattoo marked on her face.

"Rukia!" Riku called.

"Get back!" She yelled, having realized the situation. "My body. I can't…control it." She struggled as she held her sword with both hands, before charging straight at Riku. Despite his frozen leg, he was still swift enough to avoid Rukia's attack. As Byakuya came to intercept, Rukia switched targets and proceeded to attack him.

"Brother, I'm so sorry! Please, you two have to get away!" She bellowed as her brother dodged all her attacks as well. As they both evaded her, Riku gave the Espada a heated glare.

"What did you do? You said your eyes can control _one_ object." Riku stated.

"I did mention it to you." He confirmed before revealing, "However, if I control the head, my control extends to the entire body. It's quite dynamic. And it's not effect by a person's injuries"

That explained how she was moving well despite her wounds still being flesh. However, Riku gazed at her wound and saw blood beginning to leak out. He knew that her body wasn't handling the strain but knew it couldn't register the pain and if she continued than she could make her injuries worse. Both Keyblade Master and Captain made to intercept but were stopped by the Espada.

"Don't move!" To Rukia's fear, her sword was positioned inches from her neck, much to the two warriors shock, Byakuya briefly losing his composure.

"You two see the dilemma. Throw down your weapons and face the facts that you have lost." This was not a suggestion, but an ultimatum. Riku knew that Zommari literally had Rukia's life in his hands. Not wanting to let the Espada win, Riku glanced over that the captain, who noticed his glare and saw him giving a quick nod. Byakuya also had a plan in mind and decided to see what this boy had to offer.

"Riku…Byakuya…forget about me. Don't let that Espada win." Rukia said, knowing that there was more at stake than her life. Though the thought of dying still scared her.

The two still nothing as they slowly dropped their weapons, hitting the floor. Rukia gasped in horror while Zommari smiled at their submission. However this was short-lived as the two said.

"Bakudō # 61: Rikujōkōrō!"

"Dark Splicer!"

Byakuya pointed his index finger at Rukia, generating a spark of yellow energy that summoned six thin, wide beams of light that slam into her midsection. Rukia looked surprised while Zommari grew enraged at this deception. However, before his eye could glow, Riku teleported in front of him and slashed him a couple of times, specifically where three of his eyes glowed.

Zommari roared in pain as the three eyes began to bleed out until they finally went dim. When that happened, the sun-shaped marks on Riku, Byakuya, and Rukia quickly vanished.

"It worked." Riku smirked in satisfaction as Rukia smiled, feeling control of her own body (albeit little since the Bakudō spell on her prevented further movement).

"Dammit! What have you done to me!" He asked the Keyblade Master, who replied. "You said it yourself that your eyes can control anything it gazes on. You were practically bragging about it." Riku then gave him a serious look. "It got me thinking, if your eyes can control us, then what would happen if I destroyed them?"

Zommari gasped while Riku smirked as his look of defeat. "I'll admit it was a gamble, though luckily Byakuya helped follow through by stopping Rukia."

The captain merely huffed at his remark. "I did not follow through with _your_ plan. The Espada let his guard down so I saw the opportunity to immobilize Rukia and thwart his advances. Your plan was to rash and ill-prepared. It brings me to question how you earned the rank of master."

Riku just grunted, returning his gaze at the Espada. "By your look, you're out of options. Those eyes of yours are trouble, so let me test out another theory of mine." Summoning the Braveheart Keyblade, Riku's aura glowed dark purple. " _ **Formchange: Eternal Dawn!"**_

To everyone's surprise, the entire room was soon consumed in darkness, no one being able to see anything. Zommari looked frantically around as he began sweating nervously, as he too could not see anyone through all the darkness.

"Damn you!" He cursed him. "You want to see power!" Zommari clasp his hands together as all the pupils in his eyes grew big, glowing with purple light. "I WILL CONTROL EVERYTHING USING EVERY OUNCE OF AMOR IN MY SPIRIT!"

"It's useless. If you knew anything about eyes is that they're only good when they can see." Riku said from the shadows. "Since your eyes rely on clean sight to control one object, then if they can't see anything."

Zommari gasped as Riku waved his Keyblade, creating hundreds of small orbs of pure light that encaged Zommari from every angle. ( _ **A/N: Think of it as being similar to Xemnas' laser cage**_ ).

"You said earlier that it was pointless to resist." Riku recalled. "Then the same should apply to you. especially since unlike me, you haven't gained the ability to control light and darkness. Or as I call it, the Road to Dawn"

Zommari saw the orbs glowing intensely, which proved to bright for all his eyes, causing him to close them and shield his own. "No! This cannot be happening."

"It ends now: _Ultimate Finish!"_ The fusion of light and darkness mixed and all that could be heard was Zommari's screamed in agony as the entire palace was blown apart by an enormous ray of light and dark energy that blasted out from top of the palace and into the artificial morning sky.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: It's good to be back. Let me tell you that I did not expect to be on break for so long. But it makes sense since I expected that Kingdom Hearts III would have introduced some things that could alter the course of this story, such as the ending with Sora (SPOILER ALERT) disappearing. Regardless, I refused to cancel and instead decided to continue with some adaptation to fit the storyline for KH3. Let me remind you that, this new rewrite takes place after Sora leaves the Keyblade Graveyard to find Kairi but before the final scene. As for how things will play out, well you'll just have to keep reading.**_

 _ **Speaking of rewrites, I have just posted all the revised chapter for this revision. As I have stated before, the major changes were removing the SAO cast and including all the Keyblade Wielders that made their appearance, including Donald and Goofy. I even included additional scenes of the Keyblade Wielders efforts to find Sora and Kairi while Ansem the Wise and his apprentices work to reconstruct Naminé's body through her data. So I recommend reading this story from the beginning to get a better understanding of how events lead here.**_

 _ **As for this chapter, I wrote Riku's battled Zommari while including some interaction with Rukia and Byakuya. I also decided to give Riku some new moves, like Formchange and Shotlock. I based his Shotlocks on his previous techniques, such as Dark Aura, but he'll have more to show. Dark Splicer also returns as a situation command. As for his Formchange, I based it off his theme of dawn, attributes to his acceptance of light and darkness. Now don't worry, the technique he used to finish Zommari wasn't even the fullest extent of it. I'll go more in depth with his Formchange as the battles progress.**_

 _ **Now the next two chapters will focus on the Captains battles with the Espada. However, the battles afterwards will focus solely on Sora, Ichigo, and their friends receiving the spotlight. Let me tell you that even though my classes have ended, I'm still busy with work, so I will get to my story when I can. But I am now 100% determined to see this through the end. So please wait patiently for the next chapter.**_

 _ **Next Time: As Riku defeats Zommari, Mayuri faces off against Szayelaporro in a battle of wits. Please review but don't flame, because I'll ignore them.**_


	18. Battle of the Geniuses!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: The eighteenth chapter is ready for reading. Please read and enjoy the story. Please note that I do not own anything that isn't mine.**_

 _ **(Cue 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 18: "Battle of the Geniuses! Mayuri vs. Szayelaporro!"**_

Riku panted slightly as his Braveheart Keyblade returned to normal, the blade giving off dark purplish steam from the transformation. Once his Formchange's Ultimate Finish came to an end, Riku saw that the attack decimated the entire building they were in, with the roof and walls having crumbled down. Smoke clouds continued to form as a result of the debris from the destruction.

The Keyblade Master whistled at the sight of the destruction. "I never thought my Formchange would be so powerful. I need to remember to save it for when we face off against Aizen and his men." After musing, Riku looked around for three specific people. "Rukia! Byakuya! Hanatarō! Where are you?"

"Over here!" Riku turned and saw the three were hidden within a barrier that Byakuya constructed seconds before the attack took its effect. Riku saw that the Bakudō spell he placed on Rukia had been lifted, since he destroyed the eye that was controlling her.

"Are you three okay?" He asked. Rukia nodded. "We're fine. My brother was able to create a barrier to protect us." She said. Riku looked and saw the blood continuing to pour from the wound he inflicted on himself, which made him grow worried.

"You need to have your wound treated. It looks serious." He said. Byakuya just scoffed. "Do not worry about my wounds. You should instead focus more on your opponent."

As if on cue, Riku jolted as he looked at the spot where Zommari stood and found that his lower half had become a full sphere that covered all of Zommari's upper body. This was his defensive technique, _El Embrion_. However, he soon noticed trails of blood that was spilling out from where the eye sockets were located, showing that it couldn't protect Zommari from the full force of his final attack.

As the dust settled, Zommari's arm sprouted free from the opening of his sphere, before his other arm burst out and expanded the opening and soon, his whole upper body rose up. However, all the eyes on his body, aside from the ones on his face, were all shut with blood pouring from them. The Seventh Espada panted heavily in pain as his whole body was badly damaged from that attack, while in rage that all his eyes were virtually useless.

"Bastard!" He cursed as he clenched his eyes in pain. Riku just gave a neutral expression, now feeling sorry for the state Zommari was in. "It's over. I've already taken out all your eyes. Just give up already!"

Zommari didn't listened, as he was too consumed with rage. "What you've done is totally…" Suddenly, the eight lines on his forehead opened up, revealing eight more eyes that were hidden. "UNFORGIVABLE!"

Before Riku could take a step, Byakuya waved his right hand forward, causing Riku to stop. Soon, Zommari's eyes glowed, preparing to take control of the remaining three. However, before they could hit their mark, Byakuya step forward.

"Bakudō #81: Dankū!" A defensive, translucent, rectangular barrier was created that blocked the power of Amor, with the sun-shape mark appearing in front of it. Zommari gasped as he saw that his Amor was blocked, which should have been impossible. "What…is that?"

"It is a protective wall that completely shuns any Hadō techniques under number 89." Byakuya explained. "I was able to stop Rukia using Rikujōkōrō. Therefore, I ascertained that your power is similar to Kidō."

"It seems I was correct." Byakuya concluded as Riku couldn't help but be amazed at the Squad 6 captain's analytical skills. The Keyblade Master then turned to the defeated Espada. "By the looks of things, that surprise attack was your last gamble. Face it, you've already lost this battle."

Lost! Zommari bared his teeth as he glared at the two that stood before him. He couldn't admit defeat, especially to people like them.

"Damn!" Having lost all composure, Zommari sent a flurry of Amor spells at the barrier. "Accept my Amor! ACCEPT IT! ACCEPT IT! ACCEPT IT! ACCEPT IT!" He roared as he continued firing at them, which proved futile as the Bakudō spell stopped each attack. Having enough, before Riku and Byakuya used Airstep and Flash Step respectively, appearing on either side of Zommari. He froze as he felt their blades just inches away from his neck.

"Your impatience limited your field of vision." The Soul Reaper captain berated.

"Guess you're not as fast as you claim." Riku scorned. "You know, now I actually feel sorry for you."

The Seventh Espada stayed silent, instead slowly turned his head to face the two. "Please. Show mercy." He begged, however their expression remained serious, betraying no one. "Why are you looking at me like that. You're going to refuse. You're going to kill."

"You had the chance to walk away." Riku reminded. "And after what you did to Rukia, you've lost all right to ask for mercy."

Zommari the Keyblade Master's tone and the Soul Reaper captain's silence infuriated him to no end. "Your arrogance makes me sick. MAKES ME SICK!"

Repelling both blades with his arms, Zommari used Sonido to make a clear distance from them. Angrily, he faced the two before him, specifically Byakuya. "Do you ever stop to realize what you're doing. You go around so righteously killing those who live an existence of complete futility! Have you thought about what you do!? About the meaning of killing Hollows like us as though it was a natural thing!?"

He asked furiously, before shifting his focus on his otherworldly opponent. "Soul Reapers kill us Hollow without the slightest thought of remorse! As if it were a natural thing to do!"

"Who do you think you are. Do you think you're a bunch of Gods or something!?" He returned his attention to Byakuya. "Who gives you the authority to kill!? Why do you target us Hollows!? Is it because we devour Humans? Yes, it's true we do devour Humans. But who gave the Soul Reapers the right to protect Human beings! Did someone give you that right!? I don't think so. The answer is no. You label us as evil creatures and go to great lengths to try and get rid of us."

"It's about helping people." Riku finally decided to speak. "I'll admit, no one can give us any right to do what we want. But a good, really carefree friend of mine went to great lengths to protect the worlds not once, but three times from creatures similar to Hollows, to people who commanded them for their own purposes. No one ever gave him the right or permission to help others, but he did it because he felt like it. Because in his heart, he knew that it was the right thing to do."

He then hardened his glare at the Espada. "You on the other hand, it's funny how you said that Soul Reapers are arrogant for hunting down and killing Hollows just because they consider you Hollows to be evil. Yet, you believe that Hollows can eat Humans without any form of consequences. Then there's the fact that you hate Soul Reapers, yet you willingly subjected yourself to serving one. You're not only arrogant, but a hypocrite as well."

"So, you believe you can do as you wish because you prematurely decided that justice is on your side." Zommari finally exploded. "That's the arrogance I speak of. That smug look you and the Soul Reapers all have. It makes me…WANT TO THROW UP!"

However, Zommari's ranting was cut short when Byakuya suddenly used Flash Step to appear behind his back, having unsheathed his sword. Zommari stood frozen, it was so fast that he couldn't tell what had happened or where he was attacked. This was Byakuya's Flash Step technique " _Senka"._

"it's funny. I don't remember saying that I would kill you just because I'm a Soul Reaper." He said. "The reason I'm killing you is simple. It's because you aimed your blade at…my only pride."

While Riku looked confused, Rukia had a small blush on her face. For a while, she once believed that her adopted brother never cared for her, until he revealed the story of her sister after her execution was thwarted and Aizen's defection. Rukia softly smiled, even though he wouldn't state it directly, she knew what he meant and was happy to hear that he did care for her.

"Now, this is your fate." As soon as sheathed his sword, blood gushed out as Zommari saw that slash all over his torso. Zommari looked in horror as he knew that his end was near. However, though they were strong, he knew none of them were any match against the higher Espada, especially Lord Aizen. Yes. Aizen, the most powerful person capable of ruling them. It was all up to him now.

With his final act, he raised his hands high in the air. "BANZAI! BANZAI! BA-BANZAI! LONG LIVE LORD AIZEN! BANZAI!" With that, he disintegrated into the wind.

For a while, everyone remained silent. Riku put his weapon away while looking where Zommari once stood. After a few seconds, he turned to Byakuya. "So, what now?"

"It's over. Come on out." Riku looked confused before suddenly a barrier appeared in thin and when it vanished, Isane appeared, to Rukia's surprised and Riku's confusion, since he didn't know her.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Did Captain Unohana sent you?" He questioned, which she replied. "Yes. We sensed from his spiritual pressure that 7th seat Yamada had been seriously injured in battle."

Rukia turned and saw Hanatarō collapsed on the floor, unconscious with his wounds still fresh. She then recalled what happened and lowered her head in shame and guilt, blaming herself for his condition.

Riku noticed her expression and knew what she was thinking. "None of this is your fault Rukia. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"But still, I couldn't do anything during this battle." Rukia stated. "If I hadn't gotten in the way, then Hanatarō wouldn't have…"

"What's done is done." Rukia looked and saw Byakuya, who spoke without facing her. "It's pointless to dwell on past mistakes. All that matters is that you learn from it and grow stronger to achieve victory."

Rukia thought of his sincere words for a moment, then clasped her head with both hands. He was right. Now, wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. Especially when there is more at stake, like rescuing Orihime and stopping Aizen. Riku smiled as he saw that Rukia was able to snap out of her funk.

With that settled, Byakuya ordered Isane. "Take care of them."

* * *

In the ruins of Szayelaporro's palace, Mayuri was soon on his knees as he was panting heavily. Szayelaporro merely smirked as he held a doll of Mayuri, having used his technique on Mayuri, and processed left him heavily drained that is what led to his condition. Aqua had tried to warn him earlier about this but he merely brushed her off. A mistake as she now saw that he was fighting a losing battle. Aqua had tried to intervene to save him but was restrained by Nemu, who was ordered earlier to keep her out of this fight.

"How very disappointing." The Espada mocked. "I mean really, I expected much more from a captain." He then opened the doll from the midsection, revealing the pebble that, to the other's knowledge, represented his organs. "Before my power, you are completely helpless." He proceed to crush his organ.

Mayuri throw out bile as he held his chest in pain. Nemu saw her master's pained expression and grew concerned. "Master Mayuri."

"No! You have to stop!" Aqua said, struggling to get out of Nemu's hold. Though she soon found that despite her slim physique, Nemu proved to be physically stronger, her arms not even flinching through Aqua's struggle. " _How is she so strong?"_

Szayelaporro proceed to crush several organs as he laughed manically at his opponent's agonizing pain. Renji and Uryū were also baffled by how Mayuri was losing like this. "Unbelievable." "Not Captain Kurotsuchi as well." Uryū and Renji said respectively, in disbelief.

"Down on your knees? Unsightly for a captain!" He jeered as Mayuri gave him a venomous glare. "That venomous outward appearance you have is all just a big show."

"How dare you!" Mayuri asked in anger. "You will pay for this. No one can do this to me and get away with it." He then stood tall and warned, "Do not underestimating me!"

Szayelaporro just laughed, dismissing his threats as he crushed another organ, sending Mayuri tumbling to the ground. "Aren't captains supposed to be strong? All of you have been such disappointments."

"Why…you!" Mayuri struggled as he reached out to the doll, only for the Espada to snap the tendons to his wrist. "AAARRRGGGHHH!" He screamed in pain.

"Master Mayuri!" Nemu whispered, growing fearful of her master's life. Aqua noticed her distressed. If she couldn't break free, then maybe she could convince her to release her.

"Please, Nemu was it. You have to let me go now. That way I can save him." Aqua pleaded. However, Nemu shook her head. "I'm sorry. But I must obey Master Mayuri's orders."

"What are you talking about!?" Aqua argued. "Can't you see that he's in pain. At this rate he will die if we don't do something."

"My Master's orders were to prevent interference." Nemu stated, despite her distressful tone. "I must abide by his wishes." She said, remembering the times he would physically reprimand her for disobeying his orders.

Mayuri continued breathing rapidly, though his crushed organs made that painful to. "I never thought…in my wildest dreams…that I would end up here…dying in a place like this."

Aqua saw Szayelaporro's smirk as she knew he was about to go for the killing blow. Knowing Mayuri's life was in danger, Aqua turned to Nemu. "Nemu please. I know you realize by now that Mayuri doesn't have much time left. If you want any chance at saving him, you have to let me go."

"I…I can't-" Nemu started again.

"Don't give me that excuse." Aqua berated. "It's true that I don't know anything about your relationship with him. However, I know he's your master and I can understand your obedience to him. However, I also see that you really care for his wellbeing and that you want to do everything you can to protect him." Nemu listened deeply as Aqua continued. "While there are times when you should follow orders, there are also times when you need to put those rules aside and do what your heart feels is right."

"My…heart?" Nemu whispered. Aqua of course, was speaking from experience when her late master, Eraqus, ordered her to follow and observe Terra if the darkness took hold of him, along with bringing Ven home. However, when they found out, they were both hurt, and it nearly drove them apart. At that time, Aqua thought she was protecting them but didn't once consider their own feelings. They were her friends and she never wanted to break the bond they all share. She then vowed to never break that bond again and to follow her what her heart says is truly right.

"Tell me, can you really follow through with his order…and watch him die!?" Aqua asked, as Nemu contemplated. True, even though her master hardly shows any affection for her and often treats her cruelly, regardless he is still her master, and she vowed to protect Master Mayuri, for as long as she lives. Seeing her master close to death pained her even more than when he would hit her. And this Aqua person proved strong enough to challenge the Espada.

"Please," Aqua heard Nemu whisper in a pleading tone. "Save Master Mayuri." Then, Nemu weakened her grip, freeing Aqua her hold. Aqua smiled at her decision before she could make her move. However-

"It's all over." Szayelaporro snapped the last tendon that was to his neck, which caused those tendons in Mayuri's neck to burst. Aqua and Nemu froze in horror as she saw Mayuri collapse, seeing that his body was devoid of all life.

"Master Mayuri!" Nemu screamed at her master's demise. Renji and Uryū were just as shocked at the display of horror.

"I can't be." Renji whispered while Uryū couldn't find his voice, too much in disbelief. Szayelaporro however, started laughing triumphantly.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! This is so easy, it's become boring!" He jeered as he continued laughing a storm. "I thought there would be more to it then this!?"

His laughter, however, drove Aqua to give him a heated glare. Seeing Nemu's mournful expression caused her to lose all composure. No matter what, now she was going to take him down.

"Szayelaporro…you monster." Aqua summoned her Keyblade. The Eighth Espada just gave her an amused look. Before he could move, he heard small chuckling from below. When he looked down, he saw something that baffled him…and everyone else.

"I got you." Mayuri said with his tongue sticking out and eyes rolled over in a goofy manner. He stood inches from Szayelaporro, the Espada to shock to comprehend what was happening. After a few seconds, he flinched and jumped back. "What's going on!"

"My, my, my," Mayuri said as he stood up and dusted off his robe. Aqua and Nemu also looked in disbelief.

"Master Mayuri, he's alive." Nemu whispered with relief.

"The question is how? I'm sure Szayelaporro destroyed his vital organs." Aqua questioned. Nobody could survive something like that.

The Espada also couldn't understand it either. The doll was supposed to have done its job. There was no way that it could have been a dud. Growing angered, Szayelaporro grabbed another pebble and crushed it, Mayuri throwing up bile. Szayelaporro smirked. "I'm glad to see the doll is still working."

He then crushed another pebble and chuckled as Mayuri throw up more. However, his joy was soon cut short. "You should stop that." He stopped as he saw Mayuri not even effected in the slightest, more annoyed than in pain. "I'm getting awfully tried of that parlor trick."

Szayelaporro grew more agitated at Mayuri's attitude. There was no way he could still be alive. It was impossible.

"I never thought that the captain could be defeated easily, but this…" Uryū said, also in disbelief of what was happening. "Let me tell you something, it's sick that he can endure that much pain."

"That's enough!" Mayuri turned to see Aqua giving him a stern look. "Tell us now, how are you still be alive?" The Squad 12 Captain said nothing, merely walking towards her. The blue haired Keyblade Master remained on guard as he approached her…only to see him walk past her. Aqua turned and saw that it was Nemu he was approaching. What could want with her? Aqua then noticed Uryū who was giving a distasteful look of his own. What was that about?

"Master Mayuri." Nemu said softly. Then, without warning, Mayrui punched her across the face, sending her tumbling to the ground. Aqua gasped at what she saw. He hit her.

"You idiot. I gave you a direct order to hold on to that woman no matter what!" Mayuri berated her. Nemu however neither looked sad nor hurt, as she messaged the bruise on her left cheek.

"My deepest apologizes." She said.

"HEY!" Mayuri turned to Aqua, who looked mad at seeing him hit Nemu. "She only let go because she was worried about you. We all thought that you were going to die by Szayelaporro. Nemu just wanted to save your life."

Mayuri then gave her a scornful look. "Now you have the nerve to insult me. Did you really think that Espada and his little trick was going to be enough to actually kill me?" He then looked down at Nemu, also giving her the same look. "And you should have known better than to think I would _ever_ go into battle without being well prepared."

"Prepared?" Aqua questioned. "What do you mean. What's going on!?" Renji was also thinking the same thing.

Now frustrated, Szayelaporro throw the Mayuri doll to the ground, all the pebbles spilling out. Then, he stomped his foot hard on the doll, crushing its head. However, Mayuri's head was still intact. Growing angrier by the second, Szayelaporro cursed as he repeatedly stomped on the doll, crushing the body and all the contents within. While Mayuri could feel all those organs getting destroyed, no damage was being inflected on him.

"IT CAN'T BE!" He roared, pointing an accusatory finger at Mayuri. "I smashed all your organs and your muscles, so why aren't you dead?! Just what kind of power to you have!?" He questioned, though Mayuri merely waved him off.

"Stop being such a loudmouth." He said. "It's not about the power that I have. It's just that the power that you have, is pretty damn boring. That's all."

"What? Boring?" The Eighth Espada was left speechless. With everyone left clueless, Mayuri decided to explain. "See that Quincy? I have a very cautious nature." He explained, recalling his first battle with Uryū. "When I fight someone new, I always try to lay a trap during the battle. A favorite is when I infect my enemies' bodies with infinite qualities of surveillance bacteria." Uryū's eyes widen at what he heard.

"Surveillance bacteria?" Aqua muttered before realizing what that meant. "Then, that means you've been observing our battle against Szayelaporro, were you?"

"You're more perceptive than I thought." Mayrui said before continuing. "That is correct. Therefore, just before coming here to take part in this battle, I created replicas…of every single organ and muscle in my body."

Everyone was shocked at the revelation. None so than the Eighth Espada, who couldn't believe what he had heard.

"RIDICULESS!" He shouted. "I mean not even a full hour has passed since I first revealed my power to the Quincy. You couldn't have done it in such a short amount of time." Szayelaporro said strongly. "It's not possible. You lie!"

"On the contrary, I can, I did, and that is why I am here." Mayuri simply stated, much to Szayelaporro's shock.

"To think he was able to make a defensive strategy against him." Aqua whispered in surprise. "Not even the smartest people I know could make such a counter measure possible." She then looked at Nemu. "Did you know about this?"

Nemu shook her head. "No. However, I was curious as to why Master Mayuri spent ten minutes in his laboratory before we departed to Hueco Mundo."

"It's a simple strategy. Deceive your allies to deceive your enemies." Mayrui replied. Then, Uryū slammed his fist hard on the rubble, angered at what he heard. "Hey hold it!"

"Oh boy. Here comes another speech." Mayrui said offhandedly.

"You're damn right. I've got something to say and I'm gonna say it!" Uryū began. "Bacteria! When did you infect me!? During our battle!? I don't appreciate being spied on like that. How much did you observe anyways. You can't spy on my private life, that's against basic human rights, an invasion of privacy. I demand that you remove the bacteria right now." Uryū then grew irked when he saw Mayuri rolling his eyes around, not even paying attention to his ranting. "Hey! What's with you anyways!? Are you listening to me!?"

"Quiet, you fiend." Mayuri simply said, which drove Uryū over the edge at being called 'fiend'.

"I was gonna call you that!" Uryū shot back. "You're the fiend you…you…"

"Fiend." Aqua finished.

"Yes. Thank you. Gaaahhhh!" The stress caused Uryū to vomit more blood, due to his organs being crushed earlier.

"Stop it Uryū. Don't get yourself so worked up!" Renji warned.

"He's right. You still haven't recovered yet. If you get stress, you'll just make yourself worse." Aqua stated. Before she could take a step, she heard something spring up behind her. To her surprise, one of Szayelaporro's tentacle caught Nemu, wrapping around her and holding her high up.

"Oh no." Uryū exclaimed while Renji gasped.

"Careless again you so call captain." Szayelaporro mocked. "You didn't pay any attention to your subordinate's foothold."

Aqua assumed her fighting stance. "Let Nemu go right now!" He demanded.

"I wouldn't do anything rash. You so much as summon that Keyblade of yours, and I'll squeeze the life out of this girl." He threatened.

"It seems to me that you're possibly under the wrong impression." Nemu said, not even bothered at her predicament. "True you can capture me, but I'm useless as your hostage."

"SILENCE! YOU WILL ONLY SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO CAPTIVE!" Szayelaporro shouted. Aqua looked to Mayuri, seeing what he thought of this. However, the captain just looked off elsewhere, not even focusing on the situation at hand.

"Are you listening so called captain!? I'm speaking to you." The Espada yelled at being ignored again.

"My goodness. Everyone keeps chattering. It's so noisy." Mayuri reached for his Zanpakutō, pulling it out. "Bankai! _Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!"_

The baby's head on the guard opens its mouth and produced a giant creature with the body of a caterpillar in a red cape, with a grotesque golden baby's head and arms, and a silver halo hovering around its head. Near the back of the halo are 4 bells, 2 on each side.

Aqua looked slightly nerved at the sight of this thing. "That's…his Bankai?"

"It is. Honestly, this is the first time I'm seeing it." Renji stated.

"Fortunately, I have some experience with it." Uryū said, recalling his last battle with the captain. "Ms. Aqua, you should step back." Curious, Aqua decided to take his advice, wanting to see its capabilities.

"What is this? Where did it come from? Szayelaporro asked as he stared at the grotesque Bankai. Soon, the creature opened its mouth, exhaling a strange purple gas form, which spread across the area.

"What the hell?" Szayelaporro question as he looked at this gas. However, to his horror, purple blotches began appearing all over his body. "This gas, some kind of bacteria? Really, I'm sure I can easily counteract this." He put his fingers close to his face to heal, however, to Mayuri's amusement, the blotches began growing on his arms. "Huh! What's wrong? What's going on with this…poison?" Szayelaporro then began to feel nausea and his whole body going numb. Desperately, he tried to reach for the strands on his tentacles to heal himself, only for them to turn purple and burst.

"Impossible!" The other strand bursted then, Szayelaporro felt his whole body go numb completely. "If only I had time, I could…"

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" He cursed, seeing the state he was in. Then, a large shadow appeared over him. Turning around, he saw the creature right above him, looking at him with his mouth open.

Szayelaporro knew what was about to happen. No! This isn't how it was supposed to go. He couldn't lose to this captain. He just couldn't. But then, the creature dived towards him.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" He screamed in fear as the creature came and-

 _Gulp_

It ate Szayelaporro whole.

* * *

Back with Riku and the others, Byakuya stood off a few feet away from the others to keep guard in case any of Aizen's forces tried to attack. Meanwhile, Isane tended to Hanatarō's injuries first since he was in even worse condition than Rukia. She said she would finish healing Rukia's wounds after she was done with Hanatarō.

For about ten minutes, Riku stood by Rukia's side to protect her while watching Isane heal Hanatarō. Then, they saw his body stir and slowly…his eyes started opening. When he came to, he saw Riku, Rukia, and Lieutenant Kotetsu looking at him with relieved expressions.

"Thank goodness you're awake." Isane said softly.

"We were all worried about you Hanatarō." Rukia said.

"Ms. Rukia. Lieutenant Kotetsu." Hanatarō said, sitting up. "Why are you here?"

"She said they sensed you were hurt and came to heal you." Riku summarized Isane's explanation. Rukia then looked at Hanatarō with an apologetic expression.

"Hanatarō. I'm very sorry!" She said, bowing her head. Hanatarō just blinked in confusion. "Huh? For what?"

"You know…about what happened to you." Rukia explained. He then had a quick flash to his previous wound, and Rukia was the one who slashed him.

Riku then stepped forward, deciding to explain. "Rukia didn't hurt you by choice. She was under the control of that Espada we fought and was manipulating her. She had no control of herself and feels guilty for what happened."

"Oh, I see." The Squad 4 member said, understanding the situation. Of course, he knew Rukia for a while, and knew that she would never willingly hurt her own comrades. "I-It's okay, Rukia. I don't blame you because I know that you didn't mean it." He said with a small smile.

Hearing his forgiveness helped ease the burden in her chest. "Thank you."

Isane then stepped in. "Hanatarō, you should let me finish your treatment. Afterwards, I will begin completing yours Rukia."

"This won't take long will it?" Asked Riku, wanting to find his friends.

"It should take ten minutes for me to finish." Isane said, then noticed his appearance. "Tell me, is your name Riku?"

Blinking in confusion, Riku answered. "Yeah, that's my name. How did you know?"

"My captain and I were informed about the Keyblade Wielders." She explained. "However, we met three of your friends; Roxas, Xion, and Lea were their names."

Riku's eyes grew wide at what she said. "You've met them!?" He exclaimed. "Where are they?"

"They are with my captain." Isane explained. "They chose to stay behind to help heal two people that we've found injured. One of them is your friend, Chad was it."

Rukia was surprised, then smiled. "Yes. Chad's alright. I'm glad."

"And it looks like my friends are safe too." Riku stated, relieved. "I'm sure they'll be fine, but we need to heal you up first."

"But what about…" Rukia trailed off when she looked at her brother's injured arm. Without even turning, Byakuya easily sensed Rukia staring at his injury.

"It's not important." He declared. "Right now you must rest until you are healed completely. You have to prepare yourself for the real battle that awaits us."

Riku grew serious as he realized that there are still more Espada out there. During the time they waited, he learned from Rukia that the body found next to her was the corpse of an Arrancar; Aaroniero Arruruerie, the Ninth Espada, and she barely defeated him. Then there was Zommari, the Seventh Espada, who they recently dealt with. That meant there were only eight more Espadas remaining, six of them even stronger than Zommari was. Plus with this Aizen character who leads them, he knew that the dangers were only going to get worse from this point on.

" _Sora, I hope you're safe…wherever you are."_ Riku mentally said, concerned for his best friend's safety.

* * *

Kenpachi and Nnoitra were continuing their duel, both of them dealing blow after blow but parred them each time. At the moment, both fighters seemed evenly match, as they continued their onslaught, neither side gaining an advantage. Both captain and Espada parred their weapons once more, giving a thrilling smile as they felt excitement from this battle.

Nnoitra jumped back, holding his weapon. "You're not too bad you know." He praised. Kenpachi just chukled in response. "For a pathetic Soul Reaper." The Espada concluded.

"You're pissing me off. I've about had it with your trash talking." Kenpachi said, his smile never leaving him. "Stop messing around and fight."

They let out a roar as they charged towards each other, Nnoitra slamming the top of his axe on Kenpachi's chest. Shockingly, the blade did not even pierce the captain's flesh. Nnoitra was surprised that he made to attempt to dodge before quickly grinning, "Most people I attack, would try to avoid my blade."

Kenpachi just grinned. "Yeah, but my way is much more fun. Besides, when I fight, I expect to get a real battle. And this cuts nothing but a little scratch."

"Ha, Ha, Ha!" Nnoitra laughed. "We'll see about that." He then thrusted his axe more but Kenpachi blocked it with his Zanpakutō. Both briefly struggled to overpower the other before Nnoitra swatted Kenpachi's blade away, jumping back.

"I'm impressed. That attack was pretty damn good." With that, he charged once more, jumping high in the air. Kenpachi saw this and jumped to. With all their strength both clashed once more in the air, the resulting attack released a shockwave of spiritual pressure that swept throughout the whole battlefield. Both captain and Espada began moving in blinding speed, with nothing but dust clouds forming in each of their trail as a result of their attacks. Nnoitra jumped out of one dust cloud, before seeing Kenpachi dash forward, blocking his attack. The Espada then landed on the ground.

"Guess your brute strength wasn't enough." He said, since the captain didn't come close to hurting him. Kenpachi just grinned. "Nothing to do with it. The sand just got in the way of my sword's trajectory."

"Is that so!" Nnoitra raised his weapon high, dashing towards his foe. Kenpachi blocked his axe and returned the attack, their battle resuming once more.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora, Ichigo, and their friends watched the duel as Orihime finished healing Terra first. Once finished, the orange dome around Terra's left arm vanished completely. Orihime smiled as she said, "There you go. Your arm should be much better."

Terra looked astonish as he saw his arm back to normal. The cracks and dents on his armor were gone now, looking like nothing ever happened to it.

"I have to say; I've never seen healing powers such as this before." Terra said. "Whatever you did, it really helped me. Thank you."

Orihime blushed bashfully, though smiled. "It's no problem. I'm just happy to help."

"Still, Nel was right when she said that your powers were incredible." Kairi said, who helped heal the rest of Terra's injuries. "It's nothing compared to the healing magic we use. Did you always have it?"

"No. I developed these powers a few months ago." Orihime explained, remembering when she first used her powers. "It happened when a friend of mine was in danger. Then, I suddenly wanted to save her, with all my heart."

"That's sounds like something Sora once told me." Kairi recalled Sora explaining about his trip to Olympus to seek help from Hercules. "He told me that he was able to obtain this great power after finding something to fight for, with all his heart. It looks like you were able to do the same thing."

Orihime thought of Kairi's words. Sure enough, what she said made sense to her. "You're right. Like Sora, I also want to protect my friends and do my part to help stop Aizen and end this war."

"Then it looks like we're in this together." Kairi said as he held her hand out. "We'll protect our friends with our lives. As long as we fight together, we'll be unstoppable.

Orihime smiled at Kairi's words before she returned her handshake. She made a promise to herself that she wouldn't be a burden in this final battle, but she nearly lost her confidence since being here. However, she felt that meeting Sora and his friends can help change her, especially Kairi. Even though they just met, they already had this connection. Which would help develop it into a bond.

Terra smiled at the two, then he said, "Now that I'm healed, you should begin treating Sora and Ichigo, since they're both in worse shape."

Orihime nodded. "You're right." The three then began walking to the others, who were currently looked on to the battle with Kenpachi and Nnoitra.

"Wow, they're really going at it." Ven commented, seeing both warriors go all out.

"I never thought that the Soul Society would have a captain of this caliber." Nel said in disbelief at Kenpachi's brute strength.

Sora was also amazed at this duel, "I heard he was strong, but I didn't think he'd be this tough." Now he knew why Aizen told him to be cautious of him.

Ichigo looked at the battle though wished he could also help. "I should be out there. I can't just stay and do nothing."

"You won't be for much longer." Kairi said as she and the others walked over. "We'll get you two healed so don't worry."

Sora smiled. "Thanks Kairi, Orihime." The latter smiled as she used Sōten Kisshun to create an orange dome around the injured duo. While Kairi and Orihime tended to them, Ven, Terra, and Nel watched as the battle between captain and Espada continued, its presence radiating across the battlefield.

* * *

Elsewhere, Chad had just regained consciousness. He looked around his body and saw the wound that Espada gave him was completely healed.

"Thank goodness you're awake." Chad turned and saw Xion addressing him. He quietly gasped. "Who are you?"

"Oh, my name is Xion, Keyblade Wielder. I'm sure you've heard of us." She said summoning her Keyblade, knowing that they were already aware of them.

Chad thought for a moment before recalling Kisuke's words, " _They must be those helpers Kisuke mentioned."_ He then nodded to Xion.

The black-haired girl smiled before Roxas called out. "Xion! I think this guy's waking up now!" The two turned to see Lea next to the Arrancar who, to Chad's knowledge, was Gantenbainne. Gantenbainne held his had in fatigue as he sat up.

"Good to see you up big guy." Lea said as the Privaron Espada looked at the unfamiliar people in confusion. Roxas decided to step up. "Don't worry, we're friends. We helped heal you two up."

Gantenbainne looked and saw Xion and another person. "Yasutora Sado?"

"You're Gantenbainne." Chad said, remembering fighting him earlier and was surprised to see him here to. The Privaron Espada looked more confused until he saw Xion's Keyblade, which was a copy of Sora's Kingdom Key.

"That weapon. It's Sora's." He said. "Why do you have it?" Xion noticed what he said, putting her Keyblade away. "It's a Keyblade. While it's the same model's as Sora's, it's not his."

Roxas however, noticed another thing Gantenbainne said. "Wait, you said Sora. Do you know him?"

The Privaron Espada nodded. "Yeah, I've met that kid before. We took a job together once, but I haven't seen him much since that day."

"We're friends of Sora. We came here to save him." Xion explained. "Do you know where he is?"

Gantenbainne shook his head. "No, I don't. However, before I passed out, I heard that Aizen declared Sora a traitor and ordered the Espada to kill him." His face turned grim as he remembered another person with them. "No doubt that _he_ has already made his move."

"Who's he?" Lea asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Espada who attacked us." They turned to Chad, who also had the same expression. Gantenbainne nodded. "His name is Nnoitra Gilga, the Fifth Espada."

Roxas grew concerned. "This Nnoitra guy is after Sora?" Xion also looked worried. "Then we better get moving. There's no telling what danger Sora's in."

However, before they could move, they turned and saw Captain Unohana looking off to the distance. While Chad and the Sea-Salt Trio were curious, Gantenbainne however realized something.

"That haori. She's a Captain-Class Soul Reaper!" He exclaimed. However, Lea interjected. "Relax, she was the one that healed you two. If she wanted to kill you, she wouldn't have even bothered healing you to begin with."

Gantenbainne blinked. "She…healed me?" He never thought a Soul Reaper would bother healing an Arrancar like him.

"I had a feeling it was her." Chad said before realizing something else. "Since Captain Unohana is here, that means the other captains have made their move."

Xion nodded. "That's what she told us." Gantenbainne was a little nervous about many powerful Soul Reapers in Hueco Mundo, however, Xion gave him a reassuring look. "You don't have to worry, as long as you're on our side, I'm sure they won't attack you."

Then, the group sensed a large amount of spiritual pressure emanating from the distance Unohana was staring off into.

"Yeesh! Just what's happenin' over there!" Lea asked. Gantenbainne observed the scene, recognizing one of the source of the spiritual pressure.

"It's Nnoitra!" He exclaimed.

"Nnoitra! That's him?" Roxas asked, which he nodded in confirmation. Chad however recognized the other source of the spiritual pressure.

"That second energy…it belongs to Captain Zaraki." He said.

"Looks like they're duking it out over there." Lea commented as they continued to observe the state of the battle.

* * *

"Huh yes, I can hear them. It's those two barbarians. They're still tearing each other apart." Mayuri mused as he sensed the battle between Kenpachi and Nnoitra.

Aqua also sensed the battle between the two fighters. She was amazed by the power they were both emanating.

" _This power…it's unbelievable."_ She mused before refocusing on another thing that disgusted her, Renji, and Uryū to no end. They saw that Mayuri's Bankai had swallowed Szayelaporro whole

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Uryū rhetorically asked the two.

"As much as I wish I wasn't seeing it, yeah I am." Renji said dryly.

"I…I think I'm gonna be sick." Aqua said as she held her mouth in shock and disgust. Never has she seen anyone ever get eaten alive like that. Sure she knew Szayelaporro had to be stopped at all cost, but she never wanted him to end up like this.

Soon, the creature ate him whole, expect for the tentacle that were still holding Nemu in place.

"It ate him." Renji said bluntly, which disturbed Uryū.

"I'm watching it too! You don't need to gross me out." He exclaimed.

"What, you asked me if I saw it. I was just answering your dumb question." Renji argued.

"Yes, but…could you please not describe it. I can still see it in my mind." Aqua said, trying to get over her shock. Soon, the purple gas from the Bankai creature began to spread to where they were. Aqua noticed and saw the purple blotches appear on her.

"Oh no! The poison!" Aqua exclaimed as she saw her condition. Then, see covered her mouth as she coughed loudly. She then saw blood on her palms.

"Aqua, you've been infected by the poison." Uryū stated. "And Renji has too."

"What!" Renji exclaimed as he coughed out blood, the purple blotches on his body. He then noticed something intriguing. "Wait, why isn't this stuff effecting you too."

Uryū thought about it, then came to a logical conclusion. "Well, I've been infected by that poison before. I've probably developed anti-bodies."

"Well…that's fortunate for you." Aqua complemented as she coughed more.

"No fair. You get a free pass. Why's it gotta be us?" Renji barked before coughing more.

"The point is…that we need to heal ourselves before the poison takes full affect." Aqua stated. "I had a spell that could have neutralized it, but that was a long time ago and I've lost it. Uryū, you've been infected before. That means there's an antidote to it."

The Quincy nodded. "Mayuri's the one who has it. We should-" No sooner later, the purple blotches also appeared around Uryū as well, causing him to cough up blood.

"Uryū, no!" Renji shouted.

"What happened!? I thought you developed anti-bodies!?" Aqua asked. Mayuri chuckled as he overheard their conversation. "You know you really shouldn't make assumptions like that. It's only common sense to alter the formula of a poison after every use."

"You bastard!" Uryū seethed in contempt. "Uryū don't get worked up." Aqua advised, though she too was growing to dislike Mayuri.

"Developed anti-bodies." Mayuri scoffed at his remark. "Don't you think a professional will prevent that."

"Regardless…Captain Kurotsuchi…you have to give us the antidote." Aqua said. "We won't last much longer."

Nemu, who had been dangling from the tentacle, watched the scene unfold before asking. "Master Mayuri. I beg your pardon sir. Could you come over here please. I just need some help getting untied from this."

"I almost forgot about her." Aqua said. She tried to reach her but soon fell to her knees, "No…the poison."

"Aqua, don't push yourself. The poison will get worse." Renji said.

"I'm fine." Aqua stated before turning to the captain, who just stood there not even paying attention to Nemu's situation. "What are you waiting for. Get her down from there and give us the antidote."

"Talk about irritating." Mayuri said before bringing a flask that was the antidote. "Fine then, here's the antidote." He then carelessly tossed it to them.

"Hang on, don't throw it!" Uryū shouted. Luckly, Aqua gathered enough strength to leap and catch the flask in her hand.

"I got it." Aqua smiled as she held the antidote up.

"Great job, Aqua." Renji praised. Aqua then gave Mayuri a stern look. "What is wrong with you. You don't just throw stuff like this. You could have broken it."

"But it didn't." Mayuri said. "You should be grateful you still had the means to catch it." Nemu continued to watch, but then…

"AAAHHHHH!" everyone turned and saw Nemu began screaming in agony.

"No! Nemu!" Aqua cried.

"What's going on?" Uryū asked. "Something strange is occurring." Aqua saw that Mayuri was paying no heed to Nemu at all, merely watching with a blank expression.

"Mayuri, help her!" She said, though it went ignored. "What are you waiting for? Whatever is going on, it can kill her!" Mayuri still paid no attention, which made Aqua mad. However, they saw some pink-purple miasma being released from her mouth.

"What the hell is that!?" Renji wondered while Aqua and Uryū had a suspicion. The former then came to a shocking realization.

" _No, don't tell me…"_

"You really thought you killed me." A familiar voice cried from the miasma. Inspecting closely, Aqua saw several cells beginning to multiply from within.

"Wait, that voice." Uryū also recognized.

"Szayelaporro!" Renji realized.

"He's still alive!?" Aqua exclaimed. Seeing the gas still around, Aqua raised her Keyblade and constructed a barrier. Seeing the two confused, Aqua said, "This should keep the poison out for a while. We better take the antidote while we can. Uryū, how long until it takes affect?"

"When I took it, it was about ten minutes when it wore off." He replied, much to Aqua's disappointment. "It may not be enough time."

"Behold! La Lujuriosa's most brillante technique; _Gabriel!"_ Szayelaporro explained. "It gives me the ability to regenerate using my enemy's own life force."

"What do you mean!?" Aqua shouted. "What are you doing to Nemu!?"

"Gabriel invades my opponents' body and observes her reiatsu from within." He revealed. "Or to be more preciously, replaces it all together. You see I used those cells to fuel my regeneration. The reconstruction process requires every bit of reiatsu in my opponent's body overtaken. Obviously, the target is killed off."

Nemu let out a final breath, then the miasma dissipated, Szayelaporro appearing huddled up. "And finally…I am reborn." The Eighth Espada landed on the ground as his tentacle released Nemu, her body crashing on the ground like a ragdoll.

"Now then, why don't you say we all reintroduce ourselves." Szayelaporro was now completely reborn. "Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

While said captain stood motionless, the other three looked at the scene horrifically.

"That guy's an animal!" Renji exclaimed while Aqua and Uryū looked at Nemu's body. They saw that her skin had turned completely gray and her eyes hollow, showing no sign of life.

"No…he didn't." Aqua whispered in horror.

"Did you get all that Mayuri Kurotsuchi?" The Espada asked. "By constantly renewing my body, I will continue to exist for eternity. It is said that the phoenix is immortal. When it grows to old, it hurls itself into the fire. And from the flames it rises again anew." He explained. "Understand now, that is immortality. That is perfection. It's not about transcending death. It's about incorporating death into the cycle of life. And a being whose existence cannot be interrupted by death, someone such as myself, who thrives in the endless cycle of demise and rebirth, that is what you will call a perfect being."

"The concept of mortality does not exist for me." He revealed, pointing at Mayuri while everyone listen intently. "Even if you did manage to smite me, I will simply rise again without a definitive end. Understand this, I cannot be killed. Even if you tried for all eternity, you cannot defeat me. Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

Aqua heard what he said and contemplated the situation. " _With a power like that, he can simply revive himself over again. It almost makes defeating him difficult. But not impossible, because I learned that nothing is eternal. There has to be some way but what?"_

The blue haired woman snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Mayuri walking past Szayelaporro and over to where Nemu's body laid. She was barely breathing as she saw her master approaching, kneeling to her eye level. "Ma-Master…Mayuri." She whispered. "I'm so…sorry."

Mayuri said nothing, though Aqua was wondering what he was thinking. Did he really care for Nemu despite his previous treatment to her. The Eighth Espada just looked amused. "What's the matter? Can't stand watching your dear second-in-command on the precipice of death? You're a sensitive little fellow aren't you. But no matter. She doesn't have long now. This girl, oh how can I describe it, it's as if she's an empty cocoon a butterfly has left behind."

Aqua saw Mayuri standing up. What was he planning to say? Was he about to lash out at the Espada? Not that she could blame him. However, she got her answer when he turned and gave a wide smile, that disturbed both her and the Espada.

"How delightful." He joyfully said. "Really? Such an amusing little power. It tickles my fancy." Tilting his head, he asked. "And…is that all you've got?"

"What?" Szayelaporro asked, confused. "Come on, you must have something else. I mean you called yourself a perfect being. Surely, you must have some other power you just forgot to mention."

"What is he doing now?" Uryū asked.

"I don't know." Aqua said. "He must have plan to defeat Szayelaporro once and for all. But what can he do?"

"Oh don't be so serious." Mayuri said. "Telling me won't make me think less of you. Don't be coy, go on show me. Let's see it."

While cautious, Szayelaporro raised his finger. To everyone's shock, the creature of Mayuri's Bankai rose again. Then, to everyone's horror, it slammed it's head on Mayuri, giving him the same treatment it dealt to Szayelaporro earlier.

"Mayuri's Bankai…it ate him." Aqua said in shock, before asking the Espada. "What did you do to it?"

"Did you really think that behemoth could eat me and nothing bad would happen to it?" Szayelaporro questioned. "When it consumed me, my cells dissolved into it and took over its nervous systems. I may not know exactly how your Zanpakutō works, but by taking over the nucleus of its motor controls, I don't really have to. Even this Bankai thing is mine to play with."

"WHAT ROTTEN LUCK!" Szayelaporro proclaimed. "TOO BAD YOUR BANKAI TAKES THE SHAPE OF A LIVING CREATURE THAT I CAN CONTROL!"

Just then, the Bankai creature began to tremble, until the entire body imploded on itself. Everyone looked baffled about what could have caused this, until Aqua narrowed her eyes and saw Mayuri standing as if nothing had happened to him.

"My, my. This is a tool that I created." He stated. "You think it can defy its master?" Mayuri's Zanpakutō returned to normal as it gathered the remains from the Bankai, dissolving into it. "In the event that it is used against me, I designed it to simply self-destruct." Szayelaporro looked with indignance while Aqua was amazed by his tactical prowess.

" _Amazing! He was able to counter Szayelaporro's control by having his Bankai destroy itself, even though it was the first time. It's like he came prepared for everything."_ Aqua noted inwardly before looking back at Szayelaporro. " _By how he looks, that was the only technique he was saving. It's over."_

"Well, I suppose this means you have no other hidden power." Mayuri said, having reached the same conclusion as Aqua. "In that case, why don't we move along. I'd like to use you as a test subject for a new drug that I've developed."

The Eighth Espada prepared himself. Whatever new drug he was going to use, he would make sure to counter it. However, Mayuri interjected. "There's no need to put up your defenses." Szayelaporro looked confused. As were the other three.

"What's he doing?" Uryū asked.

"No idea." Renji replied.

"I'm not sure. But he must have confidence in it if he believes he can truly defeat Szayelaporro." Aqua surmised.

"The drug I'm test…is…already…inside…you~" The last four words came out very slow to Szayelaporro, much to his shock.

"What!?" The Espada exclaimed. " _His voice! What the…_ "

Seeing the Espada's reaction, Mayuri knew that the drug was beginning to take effect. "Yes, I placed several drugs inside Nemu's body. Knowing that if Nemu were devoured or if her body was compromised, they would be released into her opponent."

Aqua's eyes snapped wide, "That's it! When Szayelaporro absorbed Nemu's energy, he also unknowingly absorbed the drug that was within her."

Uryū nodded. "I see. The question is what kind of drug was it."

Szayelaporro realized this to. "What drug. What the hell did you give me!?" He angrily asked. Mayuri responded. "Well judging from the area of her body through which you just past, it looks like…" He suddenly pulled out a small blue bottle from his haori. "This is it."

"Relax, this one isn't a poison." He explained. "Let me see. I suppose you can call it a superhuman potion." Szayelaporro stood motionless, filled with disbelief.

Both Renji and Uryū were confused by what Mayuri said. "Superhuman?" Aqua however, had an assumption.

"I think he's referring to our senses." She said before explaining. "When I was little, my master once explained to me and Terra that when two masters fight, their weapons appear to be moving in slow motion. It's as if time appears to move slow for both of them. It's a rare phenomenon that occurs when our senses are sharpened to their highest degree."

"You are correct." Mayuri confirmed as he raised the vile high. "Well my drug forces that consciousness into that state of heighten awareness. In other words, it's a drug that will allow anyone to experience the superhuman limits of ability and sensation."

However, Szayelaporro simply stood motionless. Unknown to everyone, the drug was making everything move slowly for him. " _What is this? He's speaking so slowing. I can't understand him."_

"Are you still following me Espada?" Mayuri asked. "With this drug, a bullet will look completely motionless, even to a child. So now, in your superhuman state, a normal person like me most look bizarre. My movements exceedingly slow and tedious."

In Szayelaporro's mind, everything around him turned distorted, as Mayuri's words came in slow motion, to slow to comprehend.

"Now then," Mayuri widely smiled as he pulled out his Zanpakutō. "This sword, does it appear to have stopped?" He slowly moved it till it was inches from the Eighth Espada's face. "Voilà. And the amazing thing about this potion, the master swordsman's senses are only heightened the brief instant his blade crosses his enemies. But my superhuman potion amplifies your senses by a factor of thousands. No, trillions."

Aqua, Uryū, and Renji listened intently as Mayuri explained. "The drugs normal dosage is one drop delivered 250,000 times. But I made your batch special, pure and undeluded.

With what's coursing through your veins, one second will feel like a hundred years." He raised one finger to emphasize his point. He then pointed his sword close to Szayelaporro. "Take this sword for instance. As I move it closer to you, your superhuman alertness makes the movement agonizingly slow. As if it will take several centuries to reach you. It's delightful. But while your senses are sped up to superhuman levels, your non-superhuman body will fall painfully behind."

To prove his point, Szayelaporro's arm began to raise very slowly, but could not keep up with his senses. "Your body cannot possibly keep up with the incredible amount of data your sharpened senses are sending it." The Espada's hand rose in an attempt to block it, but Mayuri continued. "Even if you manage to block it with your hand, it'll be hundreds of years before you feel the pain of the blade piercing your flesh."

Mayuri impaled Szayelaporro's hand as he continued pushing it through. Like he said, the Espada was unable to register the pain of it. "In fact, I'm talking to you in the present, but who knows when my words will actually reach your mind." Mayuri decided to end it. "Well, we're in no hurry I suppose. Yes, take your time. Enjoy the everlasting agony of my sword slicing through your heart. Savor it, till your blood turns to dust."

"For now, I bid you adieu." Mayuri said with a final smile. "You'll be seeing me again, in about a hundred years."

With that, he pierced Szayelaporro's heart, ending the life of the Eighth Espada.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: There you go. Honestly, this chapter felt more like Ichigo vs Grimmjow battle, with the additional commentary of the KH cast. However, like I said, the fights will drift from the canon when the battle begins. The next chapter will be the conclusion of Kenpachi vs Nnoitra, but I'll try to add moments with Sora and Nel into the battle.**_

 _ **Anyways, let me just point out somethings from the battle. Yes, I know that Aqua has dealt with poison before but remember that Mayuri's poison works differently than the one the Keyblade Wielders are used to. That was why she was affected by it. And remember that Nemu has also shown to possess physical strength greater than normal humans, such as when she burrowed through the rubble of Szayelaporro's lab, or when she pulled a wagon ten times her size. That is why even Aqua had trouble breaking free of her hold.**_

 _ **A change from the canon was that I included Gantenbainne in this scene. I know I've said this, but I don't know what they were thinking cutting him off if he was last scene laying next to Chad. I was like, did he wake up, thanked them before walking off? Anyways, he's going to be sticking around longer in this story than in the canon series. I also plan to do the same for Grimmjow, Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka but you'll see later. As for Gantenbainne's reaction, remember he's still doesn't trust Soul Reapers, and that's why he was a little cautious around them.**_

 _ **Next Time: Kenpachi and Nnoitra's battle continues. Meanwhile Aizen gathers the top 3 Espada for their assault on Karakura Town.**_

 _ **Review, don't flame, and now it's review time. (Note: I'll only be reviewing comments from the start of the year.)**_

 _ **Khy Dragon:**_ _Yeah, I'm back alright. Sorry I took so long but I'm here to see this through the end. As for Kingdom Hearts III, loved the game and I enjoyed playing it. I already finished critical mode and I can't to see what the DLCs will offer. I hope KH 1.5 + 2.5 comes out for Xbox One (I don't have a PS4). Don't worry, I don't plan on giving Sora Soul Reaper powers. As for Anti-Form, just keep reading._

 _ **cam305tb:**_ _I also made the distinction between the Formchange power and Shikai + Bankai. I also like the Wheel of Fate Keyblade from the Caribbean (My favorite world). I will tell you that I plan to include the Formchanges for the Hero's Origin, Wheel of Fate, Shooting Star, and Crystal Snow Keyblades. However, I don't think I'll make them into a Shikai + Bankai transformation. But I will have the Soul Reapers notice the similarities._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Yes, I am also aware of the similarities._

 _ **Koren:**_ _Don't worry, your long wait has ended. However, I still have my personal life to deal with. So, don't expect updates to be frequent._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Isa and Naminé will appear in this story, along with Vexen. Yes, they will play a supporting role._

 _ **Guest:**_ _This story takes place after Sora leaves to find Kairi but before he disappears. As for how things will playout, just read and find out._

 _ **Reviewers who comment about SAO:**_ _They won't be in this story. And yes, it was logical to remove them from the story. Now that I think about it, it was a flaw to add characters from another fanfic, since I doubt everyone here has heard of it and it was very distracting._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Unfortunately, I've already decided the teams from when they separate upon arriving in Hueco Mundo: Riku meets Rukia; Roxas, Xion, and Lea meet Chad and Gantenbainne; Aqua meets Uryū, Renji, Pesche, and Dondochakka; Mickey, Donald, and Goofy meet Ashido; Terra and Ven meet Kairi and reunite with the others._

 _ **gabe. .1997:**_ _You may have a point, but I believe both of them differ in terms of creation._

 _ **Guest:**_ _You my friend just predicted what I had planned for Master Yen Sid. As for when, I'll just say it will be during the Karakura Town battle. (P.S. His arrival at the Keyblade Graveyard was one of my favorite scenes in the game.)_

 _ **Guest:**_ _I won't answer your first one, but I will say you're close about Kalgara meeting Aizen as a child._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Can't say. (wink)_

 _ **Guest:**_ _Thank you. I try my best._

 _ **Dracus6:**_ _Interesting idea. While I am a big fan of My Hero Academia, I'm sorry to say but I have no plans of making a story like that._

 _ **NinjaFang1331:**_ _Thanks._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Glad you like it._

 _ **Guest:**_ _There are no silly questions. To answer, no she hasn't. But I do plan on fixing Nel's mask, to permanently keep her in her adult form. You'll find out as the story progresses._

 _ **Guest:**_ _I'm going by what Nomura said. I remember reading an article that Nomura stated the time gap between KHX and KH: BBS was more than a hundred years. I just decided to go by that information._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Sora mainly learned through the guardian's reaction. They said he was having trouble with the Hollows, but he had no clue, showing that they sent Sora blindly to the forest. Plus, Sora learned that there are also good Soul Reapers out there._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Yeah, Sora needs to watch what he says around girls. Nel and her brothers were also scared of Chad when he revealed he was human. I supposed they told Nel that to keep her away from things that could remained her of her past. I guess you have a point but remember these are beings that they have never heard of until now. They're just disgusted that there are other people out there not so different than them._

 _ **Taromaru:**_ _Thank you for pointing that out. I went back and fixed it, renaming it "Lightbreaker". It's the same as Shadowbreaker but instead uses pure light. Glad I got the interactions between Riku and Byakuya spot on. And yes, poor Aqua indeed. She could tolerate his habits, however what she didn't tolerate was his earlier treatment to poor Nemu. I will only be including Isa. I still don't know much about Lauriam or Elrena to include them. Hopefully the next KH installment will shed some light._

 _ **Guest:**_ _I meant to say at the final climax of the game. I keep telling everyone that she basically saved everyone in the game and held her own against Xion and Saïx (alongside Lea and Sora). I like to believe that it took all her power just to keep Sora from fading the first time and it left her out of shape for the final battle._

 _ **Foreteller Luxu:**_ _I'm happy you've taken a liking to new revised story. To answer your first question, Sora is in his KH3 attire. He only turns into his KH2 attire when he's in Second Form. I do have plans for Tosen. I will admit, he did go insane during his last moments, but deep down he just wanted to avenge his friend. Hopefully, Sora will help him regain his senses. I do plan for Ashido to play a more active role in this story and join the battle. Vexen, keep reading and you'll find out his secret. As for what role Braig/Xigbar will play, well just keep reading. I can't spoil everything._


	19. Defeat the Invincible Nnoitra!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Nineteenth chapter up and ready for reading. Please read and enjoy the story. Please note that I do not own anything that isn't mine.**_

 _ **(Cue 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 19: "Defeat the Invincible Nnoitra! Work a Miracle Kenpachi!"**_

In Szayelaporro's mind, the entire world around him had become black and grey. Since the drug had taken its affect, he found himself unable to move or speak, his mind being the only thing remaining functional. However, even that was beginning to slip away, as these passing centuries took a heavy toll on his mind. Yes, while only seconds have passed for everyone, in his mind, it had been hundreds of years and he had envisioned himself as having grown old and frail. Since the sword had pierced his hand and chest, every day was nothing but agonizing pain, to the point that he practically begged for death.

" _It's been so long."_ He thought, his inner voice beginning to decay. " _How many years? How many decades have come and gone since he…No wait, it's been longer than that, it's been centuries. I know this much; an immense amount of time has passed. How long will it take? When will this sword go ahead and pierce my heart? This waiting…it's unbearable."_

Feeling the tip of the blade connecting to his heart, Szayelaporro couldn't take it any longer. _"Hurry. Hurry. HURRY! HURRY! HURRY! HURRY! HURRY UP AND KILL ME!"_

After centuries of agonizing pain, the blade finally pierced his heart, ending his life once and for all.

* * *

In the present time, Mayuri had finished piercing the Espada's hearts and let go of his sword. For several minutes, he remained silent, then decided to speak his mind. "The perfect being you said? Well I have to tell you the honest truth as I see it. In this world nothing perfect exist. It may be a cliché after all, but it's the way things are. That's precisely why ordinary men pursue the concept of perfection. It's infatuation. But ultimately, I have to ask myself what is the true meaning of being perfect? And the answer I came up with was nothing. Not one thing."

In a serious tone, Mayuri explained. "The truth of the matter is I despise perfection. If something is truly perfect…that's…it. The bottom line becomes, there is no room for imagination, no space for intelligence or ability or improvement. Do you understand? To men of science like us, perfection is a dead end, a condition of hopelessness. Always strive to be better than anything that came before you, but not perfect. Scientist agonize over the attempt to achieve perfection. That's the kind of creatures we are. We take joy in trying to exceed our grasp, in trying to reach for something that in the end, we have to admit may in fact be unreachable."

Mayuri then grabbed the hilt of his sword, as he concluded. "In other words, you may think that we operate on the same level, but you were wrong. The moment you started talking about perfection, you embraced an impossible concept, and had already lost to me. That is of course if you are indeed a scientist at all."

 _Snap_

With his words said, Mayuri snapped off the hilt from the blade of his Zanpakutō, much to the other's surprise. Mayuri then began walking away, passing by the three who looked on with curiosity.

Uryū decided to break the silence. "Wait a second. Don't you have a problem? You Zanpakutō is broken."

Mayuri just scoffed at his question. "It's not broken like that. I broke it myself."

"Is there a difference to it?" Aqua asked, confused.

"As long as the hilt remains, it can be reconstructed." Mayuri explained. "And really, the sword deserved it. It's a fitting punishment after it disobeyed my instructions."

Hearing what he said made Aqua ask, "Wait, do you mean that your swords are…alive?"

"You can say that." Renji decided to explain. "Each Zanpakutō a Soul Reaper carries is unique. They are the reflections our power and soul. The name of a Zanpakutō is the name of the living spirit, which empowers the sword and lends its strength to the one who wields it. Once we learn their name, we can communicate with one another and grow stronger together. In a way, you can say that both Soul Reaper and Zanpakutō are one."

Aqua nodded as she found this new information to be intriguing. "I see. For a Keyblade, they mainly chose their wielders, based on the strength and manifestation of their hearts. While Keyblades respond to their wielder call, they can also act upon these desires even when the user is incapacitated, or even in another world or realm entirely. A Keyblade may even appear for its wielder in a time of need, even if it is not consciously summoned."

"Intriguing. Perhaps there is more to the Keyblade than I thought." Mayuri praised, wanting to experiment on it more. However, he knew the time would have to wait. He then walked over to the lifeless Nemu. "Nemu! Get up and come here. Nemu!" There was no response. Mayuri just sighed in annoyance. "Good grief. She's becoming more trouble than she's worse."

"How can you say that!?" Aqua, after having been cured from the poison, finally stood up. She was giving the captain a not too pleased look. "Have you forgotten what Szayelaporro did to her. No, you probably did but didn't care. You knew he gonna take that drug, that's why you didn't free her. Didn't you care about how she felt. She was loyal to you and didn't even bother lifting a finger to help her out! You just cared about seeing your own plan follow through!" Aqua gritted her teeth in frustration. Mayuri just gave her a blank look, then as if he heard nothing, walked over to Nemu's body.

"Answer me!?" Aqua yelled.

"Aqua wait. I think…he might be trying to revive her." Uryū stated. Aqua looked confused. How was he planning on doing that? Suddenly, Nemu began moaning as Mayuri was doing…something that couldn't be stated properly. However, Renji and Uryū began blushing madly at the sight of it. Even Aqua's face turned red as her mouth hung wide in a baffled expression. She…she didn't even know what to think about it. Seeing the other two's expression, Aqua slammed her hands on both their eyes to keep them from seeing more, which caused the two to yell.

With one final scream, Aqua, Renji, and Uryū looked and saw Nemu completely restored, with a sigh and small blush on her face.

"SHE CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD?!" Renji and Uryū exclaimed. Aqua, still processing what happened, glared at Mayuri. "What…what in the world did you just do?"

Mayuri gave her an irritated looked. "Unbelievable. You couldn't understand something this obvious happening right in front of you? What idiots."

A displeased Uryū said, "Don't turn this back on us! Admit it. You did something to her just now that the author couldn't even explain it!"

"What are you talking about you Neanderthal. I'd never do anything that would force our dear author to change the age-rating of this story. Get your mind out of the gutter."

-Pause-

 **(CB: Ummm…can you two please leave me out of your conversation. Thank you.)**

-Resume-

Renji and Uryū blushed more while Aqua sighed as she held her forehead, getting a headache. "Okay. Let's just agree to never talk about this and move on!"

Mayuri sighed as he looked away. "Nevermind. I've learned from experience describing my techniques to ordinary people is just a complete waste of time"

"So then you refuse to explain yourself!?" Uryū yelled, then began coughing, due to his injuries.

"Uryū, you really shouldn't be getting worked up." Aqua said with concern.

"She's right. Even though the poison is gone from our systems, our organs are still crushed." Renji stated, referring to himself and Uryū. "We have to be careful, or we'll injure ourselves."

Aqua stood up and began walking forward. "I'll talk to Mayuri. Hopefully he may have something to help you two with." As Aqua approached the captain, he looked to Nemu and ordered. "Nemu, dig this place up again."

"Yes Master Mayuri." Nemu replied then, surprisingly, her hand then started to spin and move around like a drill as she started to strike the pieces of rubble with it. Nemu continued striking it several times until the rubble exploded, and two figures popped of it. To Aqua surprise, it was Pesche and Dondochakka.

"Ta-da!" The two Arrancars shouted as they landed. "We're back. Two of out the three brothers of the burning sand are back in business!"

Aqua paused for a bit, looking at the two, then narrowed her eyes as she realized she hadn't seen either of them since the start of the battle. "And just where have you two been?"

"Oh." Pesche noticed Aqua near them. "Well, it's kind of a long and funny story."

(Flashback)

Aqua had just order them to help her guard Renji and Uryū, since they were also uninjured. While the three continued watching Mayuri and Szayelaporro battle, Pesche and Dondochakka quietly walked off to the side.

"Say Dondochakka, you know that we've been attacking like idiots the entire time." Pesche said.

Dondochakka hummed in thinking. "Ya know. Maybe you're right Pesche."

"And meanwhile, Master Nel has returned and could be in a lot of danger." Pesche stated. "You and I haven't really done anything. Heck, we didn't even get the chance to show off our awesome new move."

"What do you think we do, Pesche?" Dondochakka asked.

"I say, we make a new vow." Pesche said as he held up his fist. "From this point on, let's get serious. Everyone is ready to fight the Espada. That means it's time to show them that we've got the right stuff and are capable of protecting Master Nel."

"I like da sound of that!" Dondochakka claimed. Both of them struck a muscular pose.

"Then let's get serious!"

"Oh yeah! That what I'm talkin' about."

Suddenly, the tiki masked Arrancar slipped and crashed into his partner. Both screamed as they rolled over rapidly, then came to a stop as they fell hard on some rubble. They groan as more fell onto them, burying them.

Meanwhile, Uryū's head perked up. "Hey, did you hear something?"

"Nope. Not a thing." Renji replied.

(Flashback Ends)

"Huh, guess it wasn't as long as I thought." Pesche mused. "But it was still funny."

Aqua just shook her head but smiled. Though they were silly, at least they had resolve in their spirits. Unexpectedly, Nemu approached the two and started to drill near their feet, causing the two to jump.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Stop trying to attack us!" Pesche pleaded. "You met us once before; don't you remember? It's Pesche and Dodonchakka!" The two hurriedly ran back with their hands up. "We're friends! We're on your side! On…Your…Side!"

"You're in the way." Mayuri said the Arrancars. "I don't know who they are. Let's be safe and get rid of them."

"Yes, Master Mayuri." Nemu said as her hand started to move like a drill again.

"Wait a minute!" Pesche said. "You don't know who we are, we get that. I guess we can't blame you for not recognizing us since you arrived right in the middle of everything. Since that's the case, allow us to refresh your memory."

"Yes, we're very good at that." Dodonchakka said.

Before they could say anything, Aqua grabbed them by the sides of their masks and dragged them away. "That's enough you two. Let's go before you decide to cause another scene" Aqua said, ignoring their cries.

With them gone, Nemu continued to use her drill like hand to strike the rubble. When she felt it was loose enough, she tossed the large debris into the air. When she was finished excavating the area, the debris was cleared and underneath revealed to be a building that was standing among the palace. Much to the other's astonishment.

"Where did this big door come from?" Renji asked.

"Good question." Uryū added. "Why is it undamaged when everything else collapsed?"

"I guess this room was constructed deep beneath Szayelaporro's chamber." Aqua assumed. "But I still don't get why he would go through the trouble of protecting it."

Mayuri walked toward the building and said, "Silly question. It's perfectly oblivious to me. When a scientist goes through the trouble building his own laboratory, he builds one place more sturdy and secure than all the others. And that is not the room for his costly experiments is located, nor is it the archives where he files the reports he stayed up all night writing." Mayuri explained as he grabbed the handles. "No, the place that a scientist wants to preserve more than anything is his most irreplaceable items. The research materials he crawled over glass to obtain."

Mayuri opened the doors of the undamaged room. Aqua, Uryū, Renji, Pesche, and Dondochakka widen their eyes when they saw what was inside. Mayuri however, smiled in glee.

"Just what I expected." He said, gazing at two corpses hanging from the ceiling, one male and the other a female.

The man had black hair that resembled a pair of small horns, a van-dyke beard and mustache, and blue eyes. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a small plate on his forehead that has horns, mirroring those in his hair. His Arrancar outfit had fringes on the forearm portion of the sleeves, a red sash tied at his waist, shoulder pads, and openings down the front which reveal his black undershirt. He also had an earring in his right ear.

The female had short purple-colored hair, purple-colored eyes, black fingernails and light purple teardrop markings on each cheek. Her outfit consisted of a frilly dress with large, poofy sleeves that cut off at her shoulder and a pair of knee-high boots. She also wore fingerless, evening-style gloves, as well as leg warmers that attach to garters at her thighs. There are also wing-like ornaments on her back. The remains of her Hollow mask are positioned in her hair right above the left side of her forehead and resemble a spiked hairpin.

Aqua looked appalled at the sight of the corpses. "Who…were these two?"

"Got me." Renji said, not knowing them. Uryū however, identified the female. "That woman. I remember her. Her name was Cirucci Sanderwicci."

"Huh?" Pesche said, before realizing. "That's right. She's that babe we beat back there."

Aqua turned to the two. "You two knew here?"

"Pesche and I had a run in with her a while ago." Uryū explained. "She called herself a Privaron Espada, Arrancars that were excommunicated from the Espada. I managed to defeat her, but I know it wasn't enough to kill her. Why is she here?"

"We know." Everyone turned to Pesche and Dondochakka, the former explaining. "While you two were battling Szayelaporro, we overheard his Fraccion saying that the Exequias returned."

"That's right." Dondochakka took over. "They said that Szayelaporro had them go and retrieve the bodies of her and Master Dordoni, then bring 'em back here. Know what I'm talkin' about?"

"Who are the Exequias?" Aqua asked.

"They're the executioners of Las Noches." Pesche explained. "They go around killing people under Aizen's orders."

"If that's true then…" No one had to finish, as they all concluded that Szayelaporro ordered the Exequias to kill them after they were defeated. Aqua looked at Szayelaporro's frozen body with disgust, not feeling any form of sympathy that he was dead. After all, he brought it on himself.

Composing herself, Aqua turned to Mayuri. "Mayuri. Renji and Uryū need help. Can you treat their injuries." Mayuri just scoffed then turned to the vault. Seeing that they weren't going anywhere, he sighed.

"Fine. Bring them together." Mayuri said, pulling out a syringe.

* * *

At the battlefield, Kenpachi slammed his sword on Nnoitra's torso. To his surprise, the sword just grinded across his body as he slammed it down, as if he was cutting steel. As the outcome resulted in an explosion of power, the others quietly observed. Orihime called Sōten Kisshun to build a shield around Sora and Ichigo, healing the injuries they've sustained.

"Is it over?" Ichigo asked.

"No." Sora said, having fought Nnoitra before to know he wouldn't go down that easily. When the dust settled, Kenpachi looked displeased that his attack didn't even leave a scratch on him. Nnoitra sneered at his expression. Then, he swung his axe and made a large cut on Kenpachi's left shoulder, blood beginning to pour out.

Nnoita smirked as he kept on swing his axe over and over at Kenpachi, who parred all those attacks with his Zanpakutō as he stepped back to avoid any deadly hits. When an opening came, Kenpachi slashed him on the chest again, but no damage was dealt towards the Espada. Nnoitra then took the chance to attack his chest, but Kenpachi blocked it with his sword. Both struggled for a bit before Nnoitra kicked him away. Then Fifth Espada charged at him as the Squad 11 Captain blocked it once more, but the Fifth Espada used all his strength to push Kenpachi back until his back hit a large rubble, causing it to crumble on impact. When the dust cloud cleared, the two attacked each other once more but their blades bounced off. The Squad 11 Captain made to attack again, but Nnoitra grabbed his Zanpakutō with his hand.

"Don't make me keep repeating myself." Nnoitra said. "My Hierro is the hardest amongst all the Espadas in Hueco Mundo. There's no way, a Soul Reaper's blade is able to cut through me!"

Kairi gasped. "I don't like this. He was already strong before but his Hierro makes his body an impenetrable shield."

"That means beating him is going to be harder than we thought." Ven cautiously said.

Orihime looked worried. "Do you think…Captain Zaraki will be okay?" Ichigo looked down, unable to answer.

"He'll be fine." Everyone looked to Sora with a confident smirk. "His Hierro's pretty tough, but it's not impossible to completely scratch him."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked, while Ichigo recalled something. "That's right. You've been fighting him way before all this. You must have figured out how to beat him."

"He's not the only one." Terra added. "I've also dealt him plenty of damage during our battle."

"Bypassing Nnoitra's Hierro is easy after you have fought him and recognized his fighting pattern." Nel revealed. "He has always proudly boasted about his Hierro but was too proud to admit it's flaws."

"Then what is it?" Ven asked. Nel opened her mouth but was interrupted.

"You shouldn't say anything." The others looked at Yachiru, who was standing on a large slab, fixated on the battle. "Kenny hates it when a fight becomes too easy. He says it's more fun to learn as you keep beating you opponent."

"Yeah, but I don't think it's the time to be thinking about that when we have other things at stake here." Ichigo argued. "Kenpachi's gonna need all the help he can get if can't even cut the guy."

"He'll do it." Yachiru cheered. "Just watch. Kenny's gonna win and be happy."

Everyone refocused on the battle, seeing the two fighters clashing blades once more.

* * *

Mayuri prepared to help restore the organs that Renji and Uryū had lost during the battle. Aqua was standing to provide aid while Pesche and Dondochakka were…doing their own thing. Uryū was the first to receive treatment and he was none to please about it.

"Stop it, let go me." Uryū said trying to wiggle out of Nemu's grasp. "I won't put up with it. What are you going to do to me?!"

"Oh please, I think that would be oblivious." Mayuri said as he pulls out a needle. "I'm going to fix you." However, the word 'rebuild' appeared in Mayuri from Uryū's standpoint.

"Let me go!" Uryū shouted. "You're not talking about healing! You want to rebuild me!" Mayuri looked the way in disgust. "I knew it! I'm not going to a guinea pig for your experiments!"

"Your squawking is very annoying. Come on now, quit fighting and think about it. You have internal injuries. And if they're not tended to, you might die." Mayuri explained. "I'm doing you a favor. I'm willing to fix your wounds for free. It's reasonable to grateful no matter what you look like afterwards."

"Well guess what, I'm not grateful!" Uryū barked. "And I'm not interested in any new look you're planning!"

Aqua sighed at Uryū's stubbornness, though she couldn't really believe him since she would never want to have Mayuri as her doctor. But now wasn't the time for this. "Uryū, I understand how you feel. But now is not the time to be acting stubborn. Your organs have been crushed and Mayuri is the only one here that can heal you."

Looking back at Mayuri, Aqua leaned to the Quincy's ear. "If anything goes wrong, I'll be here to make sure he doesn't go out of line. You can trust me, right?"

The Quincy still hated this, but Aqua had proven herself to be trustworthy since their first meeting. So, he begrudgingly accepted. "Fine then. But no tricks!"

Mayuri chuckled. "Nemu, hold him down." Nemu complied and forced Uryū to the ground by his shoulders. As Uryū looked up, he blushed wildly as he saw Nemu's breast just inches away from his face.

"Too close! Too close!" Uryū shouted as his face turned a bright red.

"What do you mean?" Nemu said as she lowered her upper body, smothering Uryū with her breast. Aqua looked embarrassed while Mayuri just remained neutral.

"Ah, very good Nemu." Mayuri said. "Stay on top of him until he suffocates. Even if his heart stops!" Uryū still tried to struggle but eventually his movements stopped. "Excellent, this should make everything so much easier."

Aqua just frowned at the Captain. "I'm here to make sure you don't do anything else other than healing him. I won't let you turn him into your experiment."

Mayuri just scoffed. "As if you would have any hold over me, woman." Aqua sighed as she laid Uryū gently.

"Captain Kurotsuchi." Renji said, getting Mayuri's attention.

"What is it Lieutenant Abarai?" The captain replied.

"Can you please heal me first?" The red-haired lieutenant asked.

"Why?"

"Because I want to fight as soon as possible." Renji said. "I know that there are still Espada out there who are a serious threat to my friends. I have to get on my feet so I can help protect them."

"You're not needed." Mayuri said as he injects Uryū with the needle. "There's only one big fight that is still going on. And that is Kenpachi Zaraki." He went to help Ichigo Kurosaki and if you want my personal opinion, I think he'd just enjoy stretching out the battle." He said with annoyance. "You'd be no help to one who needs that stimulation. Stepping into the middle of a battle with someone like Kenpachi, will be like throwing raw meat in front of a beast. You'll get in his way. You'll be an obstacle to chew up. And I'm sure you'll agree, getting eaten by a beast is about a stupider way to die as it is."

Renji looked down, feeling completely helpless. Aqua put her hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring expression. "I know how you feel. I want to help protect my friends from harm. However, Mayuri has a point. I can tell just by feeling their energy that they are both powerful warriors. If you want to help, then you and Uryū need to get yourselves healed first. Then, it will be our turn to join the battle."

The red-haired lieutenant sighed. "Fine. Hopefully, they'll make it out of this in one piece." Aqua nodded as she stared off into the distance where the battlefield was, feeling the raw intensity of the battle.

* * *

The captain and Espada kept on swinging their blades to find an opening to deal damage. Nnoitra attempted to slam his blade downward, but Kenpachi blocked it once more. Then, he used all his strength to knock him high in the air. Recovering himself, Nnoitra then grabbed the chain of his axe. Then, Sora saw that he was doing the same thing he did during their last battle. The Espada began swinging his axe around so fast that it caused all the sand to rise and spin rapidly until it became a giant whirlwind of sand, with Kenpachi caught right in the middle of it.

The spectators all covered their eyes from the intense wind pressure, but Kenpachi, who stood in the middle, looked unaffected as Nnoitra made his move and hurled his axe straight at the captain. However, Kenpachi merely sidestepped as he plunged his Zanpakutō into the sand. Then, he grabbed the chains and with all his might, pulled it back and dragged Nnoitra along with it. When the Espada was in clear view, Kenpachi grabbed his face and slammed him hard into the ground. Kenpachi then grabbed his Zanpakutō to attack, but Nnoitra knocked his hand back and began rolling away.

Now at a safe distance, the Fifth Espada grabbed the chain to call back his axe, getting into his fighting stance.

"You dodged." Kenpachi said. "And if you dodged, that means you must have felt threatened. Am I wrong?" Nnoitra glared as Kenpachi said, "You said you couldn't be cut by a Soul Reaper's sword but judging from your actions I think you've been lying."

Baring his fangs, Nnoitra leapt high in the air, planning to bring his axe down at the captain. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Nnoitra sneered. "Dodging an attack, is nothing more than a fighting instinct! It's a natural reaction, developed from years of hand-to-hand combat. But it changes nothing. No matter what you do, your sword cannot cut me."

"That's why you are doomed to lose this battle!" The Espada slammed his axe down, causing the sand to rise from the pressure. Nnoitra smirked, believing the captain had finally met his end. Until…

"There are many different personalities within the Soul Society." Nnoitra frowned as he recognized that voice. But how? "I've come across annoying guys like you before. Who say they can't be cut by my sword. But guess what?" His eyes widened when he saw Kenpachi unharmed and stopped his attack with his bare hand. The captain smirked as he said, "In all this time, I haven't met a single person…who's eyes and throat can't be speared."

With a thrust, Kenpachi speared his Zanpakutō straight through Nnoitra's eyepatch, piercing through it. Everyone watched in silenced, wondering if the battle was truly over.

"Did…did he get him?" Kairi asked.

"I'm not sure." Terra narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Sora was also feeling the same why. He had fought Nnoitra before to know that it couldn't end that easily.

"No." Everyone turned to Nel, who held a worried expression. "Nnoitra…is still alive."

To confirm Nel's statement, Nnoitra was more irritated by Kenpachi's attack method. "How many times are you going to make me say it…until you believe me?" The captain gasped as Nnoitra grabbed the hand he was holding his Zanpakutō with. "No matter how much you try, I cannot be cut."

Nnoitra then stabbed Kenpachi through the chest with his hand, piercing through. The spectators gasped in shock at what happened.

"Kenpachi!" Ichigo cried.

"Oh no!" Orihime shouted.

"How is he even standing?" Ven exclaimed. "The captain stabbed him through the eye."

"That's just it." Sora said. "I don't think he was even hurt to begin with."

"That is correct." Nel confirmed. "Take a closer look and you'll see why."

Nnoitra removed his hand as Kenpachi slowly staggered back, the Espada smirking at the sight. "Hmph! I guess you can't understand it, can't you? How can someone still be alive after you've just ran a sword through their head? Isn't that what's going through your head?" He mocked while removing Kenpachi's Zanpakutō. Then, he lifted his eyepatch and revealed his mask fragments, consisting of a small set of jawbones and teeth surrounding his Hollow hole.

"Well here's your answer." He revealed. The others gasped at the sight of it.

"So, that's where his Hollow hole was located." Sora proclaimed.

"Yes. And that is why Captain Zaraki's attack did nothing to him." Nel stated, frowning at the development.

"Bastard!" Ichigo seethed in contempt. "I can't believe this?"

"Do you think he's going to lose?" Kairi asked. No one had an answer as they resumed watching the battle.

"Surely no one can survive when their head's been run through by a blade." Nnoitra said. "But just look at me, I'm still alive. Have you figured it out Soul Reaper? Your sword didn't pierce my head. Oh no, not at all. It simply passed through my head." Nnoitra emphasized by putting his thumb through the hole. "Now do you understand. You can't defeat me Soul Reaper. You don't have the power. You might as will give up."

Kenpachi had remained motionless the entire time, taking in everything that Nnoitra was saying. When Nnoitra said he should just give up, the captain responded by giving a bloodthirsty smirk as he let out a small laugh, much to Nnoitra's annoyance.

"You simple-minded fool." He insulted, raising his foot. "WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY!" He kicked Kenpachi's chest, releasing a powerful force of strength. However, Kenpachi had caught his foot with his barehand.

"Sorry about that." Kenpachi spoke up. "I'm feeling happy. So I couldn't help but laugh."

"Happy you say?" Nnoitra grew agitated by the captain's attitude. "Why?"

"Well, there was no joy thinking that even if I cut you, it wouldn't affect the outcome of our match." Kenpachi released his leg, Nnoitra jumping back a bit. "But now I feel happy because I know that if I do cut you, you'll die." With a wide smirk, he said, "I like that."

Kenpachi then pointed his Zanpakutō at his opponent. "I'm looking forward to cutting you in half. It'll make my day."

"Good luck. I told you, you can't cut me!" Nnoitra grabbed his axe, preparing to battle. "IDIOT!"

Both fighters let out battle cries as they charged at each other with their weapons ready. They clashed their weapons as they both began going for blow after blow, trying to bring down the other's defense. However, as Nnoitra swung his axe to deal killing blows, Kenpachi would block all the strikes he delivered, countering with attacks of his own. However, Nnoitra's Hierro served as his shield as it kept him from getting hurt. Kenpachi brought down his Zanpakutō as Nnoitra held it horizontally, blocking it. The captain continued slamming his axe as Nnoitra stepped back in defense.

"Dammit. It still seems you still have quite a bit of power left." Nnoitra glared as Kenpachi dashed forward, preparing to slash him more. Nnoitra dodged as Kenpachi sword hit the sand, causing it to rise up. Kenpachi dealt the same attack several times, with the Espada dodging as sand clouds were left in the wake of Kenpachi's attacks. As the battle between the two was intensifying, the spectators watched the battle with awe, all were left speechless at seeing the two battle hungry fighters going at it.

"Kenpachi's…really taking it to him." Ichigo said in awe as Orihime nodded in agreement.

"I didn't think this Kenpachi guy would turn out to be such a beast." Ven muttered, seeing the last damage he took and still shook it off like nothing.

"It just shows you that these two are both fighting to prove something." Terra mentioned.

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked. Nel respond, "When both warriors who seek nothing more than battles clash with one another, then both are determined to prove their strength, coming out on top in the end to ensure a victor over the other."

Sora watched Kenpachi closely as he said, "Kenpachi does look like the type of guy who likes fighting and getting stronger."

"That's just the way he is." Ichigo said, sighing. "You should see his squad. Squad 11 is full of nothing but muscle heads, all obsessed with putting their lives on the line in battle. Where do you think they got it from?" He remembered the run-ins he had with many of their members during the time he invaded the Soul Society. Chad, Uryū, and Orihime also had their fair share of trouble dealing with them as well.

Kairi giggled as she said. "Regardless, so long as he's on our side, we should put our faith in him." She returned her focus on the battle. As their onslaught continued, Yachiru smiled with glee. "Now it's getting good.

Nnoitra swung his axe once more, but Kenpachi deflected it and knocked him back, leaving Nnoitra wide open in the air. He just smirked, knowing what the captain had in mind. "How many times do I have to say it. You can't cut me moron!" He raised his forearm to block his attack, expecting it to bounce off. To his shock, the blade pierced his fleshed, nicking him.

Blood dripped from Nnoitra's cut as he remained speechless of what happened. A Soul Reaper was able to cut through his Hierro. But that shouldn't be possible. Sure, Sora, Nelliel, and that other Keyblade Wielder cut him but two of them used otherworldly tricks and Nelliel was at least an Arrancar like him. There was no way ANY Soul Reaper's blade would be capable of cutting him.

Ichigo pumped his fist as he smirked in satisfaction. "Kenpachi finally cut him!"

"Captain Zaraki!" Orihime cheered while Yachiru smiled proudly.

Ven also smirked. "And he said that his Hierro couldn't be cut. Looks like he spoke too soon."

"Is this what you two meant be him finding out a way to cut Nnoitra." Kairi asked the trio that fought the Fifth Espada before.

Nel nodded as Sora explained, "Like I said, being able to cut Nnoitra is easy when you figure it out."

Meanwhile, Kenpachi remained still, showing no sign of excitement or joy of having managed to inflict a cut on the Espada. Nnoitra glared at the captain's lack of response. "What is it fool? You're surprised that you were actually able to cut me." He then licked the blood from his cut. If I were you, I wouldn't let one lucky slice give you the wrong idea."

Then, to Nnoitra's surprise, Kenpachi started swinging his Zanpakutō, slashing the air. He kept on swinging his blade a few more times before lifting his arm, kicking up sand near him with a shockwave. Nnoitra looked shocked at the display while Yachiru smiled.

"Kenny's finally his old self again." She chirped. "Here he goes. Do it." The others were just as impressed by the display of Kenpachi's power.

"What's that…spiritual pressure?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know. But it looks like he's about to get ready." Sora said. He turned and saw Orihime fold her hands with a worried expression. "Hey, are you okay?"

Orihime said nothing as she closed her eyes. Kairi and Nel noticed her expression and could tell she was praying for Zaraki's success. True they have never seen Kenpachi fight, however, from what they have seen, they could tell he was a resourceful fighter. Whatever he has planned, they'll just have to keep praying that he will come out on top.

Lowering his arm, Kenpachi returned his attention to the Fifth Espada. "C'mon. One more round. Bring it on." He challenged, moving his finger in a 'come here' manner. Nnoitra grew enraged at the captain's cocky attitude and jumped high towards him.

"This fight is over." He roared, preparing to slam his axe on top of him, only for Kenpachi to block it again. Nnoitra smirked as the two remained in a standstill, neither one moving an inch. Everyone looked surprised by the display; however they soon saw that Kenpachi blade managed to cut through two of the tips of Nnoitra's axe, and slashing Nnoitra across the face. As the tips land nearby, Nnoitra cursed as he held his face, seeing blood drip from Kenpachi's Zanpakutō. The captained smirked at his accomplishment.

"Guess what?" He began. "It took me longer than I thought it would but now I'm used to your tough skin."

Nnoitra looked baffled, wondering if he heard him correctly. The other spectators were just as surprised his him.

"He…got used to his Hierro?" A confused Ven asked, "What does that mean?"

"Basically, he adapted to the power of Nnoitra's Hierro through the use of his own energy." Terra explained. "It's something I discovered during our battle. I adapted the power of my magic and Keyblade to cut him."

"His Hierro is tough but once you've gotten used to the power he has, then cutting him becomes simple." Sora stated.

"With the immense amount of spirit energy Captain Zaraki has, he just might be able to win." Nel said, though remained alert for anything that could change the battle.

"Let me return the favor." Everyone turned and saw Kenpachi point his Zanpakutō forward. "With this!" He dashed towards Nnoitra, but he blocked his sword and dodged. He attempted to attack only for Kenpachi to slash his shoulder. Cursing, Nnoitra stuck his tongue out, charging up a yellow colored Cero, firing it at him. Everyone gasped as they saw the Cero flying at him. However, he smirked as he grabbed and stopped the Cero with his bare hand. Then, he pushed it away to the side.

Everyone one braced themselves from the intense shockwave of the Cero. They were all shocked that Kenpachi was able to stop a Cero with his bare hand. None more so than Nnoitra, who looked baffled at the what should have been impossible sight.

"No way." He breathed. "Dammit." Kenpachi then slowly began advancing at the Fifth Espada. Nnoitra couldn't help but stay frozen as the Squad 11 Captain kept walking towards him. This couldn't be possible. He was supposed to be the most powerful Espada created and his Hierro was meant to be unbreakable. There was no way that anyone could be his equal, his superior. In the past, there was Nelliel who always looked down on him, never once acknowledging him a being worthy. Then, since this month, Sora came and despite two attempts, he wasn't able to kill a human of all people.

Nnoitra soon growled with rage. He wouldn't let this happen. He is still the invincible Espada. No one, Human, Arrancar, or Soul Reaper, was any match for him. With a roar, Nnoitra ran and attempted to stab Kenpachi with his hand, only to accidentally rip off Kenpachi's eyepatch. The Fifth Espada was shocked that he missed, but then Kenpachi smiled maliciously then…

 _Slash_

Dealt a powerful slash down Nnoitra's body.

* * *

A few minutes earlier, within the Espada meeting room, Aizen sat in front, drinking his cup of tea as Starrk, Baraggan, and Halibel took their seats. The leader of Las Noches had called for his top three Espada to meet him in the meeting room to go over their final battle strategy. Gin and Tōsen stood on either side of their leader.

"Now then." Aizen said, putting his tea down. "The preparations for our invasion have been complete. We will now mobilize our forces into the World of the Living." He explained. "I will wipe out Karakura Town, create the Ōken, and bring down the Soul Society."

"The door to a new world will be opened." Aizen said with conviction. "Starrk. Baraggan. Halibel. I'm counting on you three to pull off this attack."

"Everything is in place and we are ready to begin on you command." Halibel said as she stood up. "We shall not fail you Lord Aizen."

Starrk just closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his head. "Whatever you say sir."

Baraggan said nothing, his eyes filled with contempt. Aizen briefly looked at him amused, then asked. "Tell me, are you Fracciónes also prepared for battle?"

"They are waiting in our chambers." Halibel said. "As you have instructed, they will follow us to Karakura Town once we open the Garganta."

"Of course, none of them had anything to say to each other." Starrk muttered as Halibel also knew what he was referring to. Or who.

Yes, Sora. Since it was announced that he betrayed them, Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun took it the hardest. Ever since Sora arrived, they have all come to view him as a great comrade, and great friend. Halibel couldn't help but see the irony since Sung-Sun once doubted that they could ever be friends with a human. But the impossible happened. Now, since he defected, they all felt conflicted on whether to actually kill him should he appear. Starrk sighed because Lilynette was more affected at Sora's betrayal. Before, she was always happy being around him, now she would get angry at even the mention of Sora's name.

However, a sudden burst of spiritual pressure snapped them out of their thoughts as everyone felt its presence. Starrk and Halibel were curious while Baraggan gave no interest to it. Aizen and Gin looked amused while Tōsen's face became annoyed.

Gin chuckled. "Looks like Zaraki finally decided to let loose. I think he was fighting Nnoitra back there."

"Those barbarians. Don't they realize the devastation they will bring to Las Noches?" Tōsen exasperatedly asked.

"A battle between those two was inevitable. We shouldn't trouble ourselves over such matters." Aizen stated, then his smile grew. "I believe I also detected the spirit energies of Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue, along with Sora."

"Hmph. Good, maybe he'll get himself killed in the crossfire." Baraggan said, speaking for the first time since arriving. "Of course, he would have been dead a long time ago, if you hadn't let him get away." He detected his glare at Starrk, who merely brushed him off.

"Starrk." The First Espada turned to his leader, who said. "Observe the battle between Captain Zaraki and Nnoitra. When the battle has been settled, abduct Orihime Inoue and bring her to me at the Fifth Tower."

Starrk sighed. "Yeah. I got it." He got up and prepared to leave.

"Also," Aizen continued. "I am aware that you let Sora escape from your grasp with Orihime." Starrk remained silent, wondering if Lord Aizen was mad. "I am neither mad nor disappointed about your decision. Sora will meet his fate soon enough. However," Aizen looked straight at the First Espada. "please do well to remember were your loyalty lies. Sora will not be the key to freeing you from your eternal solitude."

Starrk said nothing, merely walking out of the meeting room to follow his next assignment.

* * *

Sora and everyone else stared in awe that Kenpachi managed to deal a critical blow on the Fifth Espada. Nnoitra's coat was completely torn with blood seeping from the wound he was dealt with, panting heavily from fatigue.

"He got him. Captain Zaraki finally has him beaten." Kairi said.

"Yeah. I had no idea he was this strong. It certainly took me a few close calls before I had Nnoitra on the ropes." Sora said, remembering his last battle with Nnoitra, when he unlocked his Synch Blade technique.

"I don't think that was it." Nel said. "To me, it looked like when his eyepatch was removed, Captain Zaraki's spirit energy increased to new heights."

"That's because it's a seal." Ichigo revealed. "It happened during our last battle. Kenpachi said that eyepatch he wears acts like a seal to control his spirit energy."

The news surprised everyone. "I see. That's why I felt that his spirit energy was distorted." Nel said.

"But why would he wear a seal for." Ven asked.

Ichigo sighed. "Because Kenpachi loves fighting, he wears it to hold himself back so the fight can last longer for him."

"He enjoys fighting that much." Terra said. "That must be all he lives for."

"He and Nnoitra are not that far alike in that area." Nel said with a sigh.

Meanwhile Nnoitra struggled to stand up as Kenpachi also explained the purpose of the eyepatch to him. Kenpachi looked at the beaten state Nnoitra was in. "You're still standing. You look alive. Or is it that you just haven't died yet."

Having enough of this, Nnoitra bared his fangs as his rage began to boil over. "You jackass." He cursed. "There's no chance I'm gonna die here. No, not by the likes of your damn sword." Upon seeing those words, Nnoitra stood tall and his body began emanating yellow colored spirit energy, which gathered all around the Espada, which produced strong winds.

Everyone braced themselves at the pressure coming from Nnoitra.

"This wind." Ichigo looked confused.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked, her eyes shut from the wind.

"A massive amount of spirit energy is gathering" Orihime replied.

"It's all coming from Nnoitra. What's he doing?" Terra asked, noticing the power increase.

"He's about to do it." Everyone saw Nel's look of concern. "Nnoitra's…going to enter his Resurrección." This news shocked and surprised everyone. Yachiru also noticed the surge of power from the Arrancar and grew concerned for her friend. "Kenny."

"Feel that? I feel it. I am strong." Nnoitra stated as he then declared. "I AM NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!" He lifted his weapon over his head. "Now. _Pray! Santa Teresa!"_

All the spiritual energy Nnoitra gathered formed a yellow aura around him, creating a small shockwave. Kenpachi prepared him as Yachiru held onto the rubble to keep from being blown away. The others also held on as the spirit energy being released was beginning to subside. Kenpachi opened his eyes and saw an odd silhouette from the dust cloud. When it subsided, everyone got a full view of Nnoitra's Resurrección.

Nnoitra had gained four arms, resembling insect-like carapace and clawed hands. Each hand was holding a large scythe-like weapon, resembling the appendages of a praying mantis, and has a small golden tassel at the end of each staff. He also gained a golden marking extending from his forehead to below his right eye, as well as a pair of horns on his head resembling a crescent moon, his left horn longer than his right. He gained several white, tendril-like appendages around his torso, extending over the sides of his abdomen. His Hollow mask also changed, becoming torn, with the teeth extending over the hole itself.

"His arms…" Ichigo said looking at the espada. "Somehow he doubled them. It's just isn't fair, damn it." Kairi and Orihime looked at the newly transformed Espada in fear. Sora and Ven reminded cautious while Terra looked over at Nel.

"This is Nnoitra's Resurrección, right?" He asked Nel, who nodded in confirmation.

"You haven't seen it before Sora?" Orihime asked, noticing Sora's surprised reaction.

Sora shook his head. "No. There was a time he was going to use it, but it was interrupted. This is the first time I'm seeing it now."

"You weren't kidding. His power just increased from that transformation. It's nothing like before." Ven stated in disbelief.

"And he's healed." Kairi said, noticing the scar wound from Kenpachi's last attack running down Nnoitra's body. "All the damage Captain Zaraki gave him is gone. There's not even a scratch on him."

"Arrancar's heal when they enter a Resurrección." Nel revealed. "While Nnoitra's wounds have been healed, the ones Captain Zaraki received still remain."

Everyone heard the grimness in Nel's voice, as even Yachiru looked worried as Kenpachi face down on his opponent's increase in power. Nnoitra smirked at the captain. "So tell me. What's it like to see an Espada sword release for the first time?" Kenpachi didn't answer but kept his guard up. "Aren't you going to say anything, Soul Reaper?"

Kenpachi soon grinned excitedly as he looked at the Espada and said, "Nice spiritual pressure." Nnoitra looked shocked as Kenpachi held his sword up, seeing it shake from the pressure. "It's been awhile since I've had that feeling that an opponent's spiritual pressure is sharpening my blade."

"Oh, Is that so?" Nnoitra said as he tightened the grip of his new weapons. "Then let's see you cut me. Attack me with your so called sharpen blade!"

Kenpachi roared as he charged at the Espada in a fast pace and swung his blade at him but Nnoitra blocked it with ease using one of his scythes, much to Kenpachi's shock

"What?!" Nnoitra said disappointed. "Is that really all you got?" Nnoitra swung his second scythe at Kenpachi and slashed him in the shoulder, knocking him down. The others looked in disbelief.

"Oh no." Orihime said worried.

"Kenpachi." Ichigo said in shock. Yachiru looked with sadden eyes at what just happened.

"That sword of yours…" Nnoitra said. "It had nothing behind it, Soul Reaper." Kenpachi laid on the ground as blood was flowing out of his shoulder. "Heh, looks like he's out cold." The captain still remained motionless. "Is it over?" Nnoitra then turned his attention to the others. "Since he's done, guess I'll clean up the leftovers." Nnoitra started to walk towards Yachiru.

"Yachiru!" Orihime cried as she ran towards the little lieutenant.

"Orihime, wait!" Kairi shouted, following her, not wanting her to be put in danger.

"Kairi! Orihime!" Sora cried. "We've gotta go after them." Sora and Ichigo tried to stop them, but their hands were repelled by Orihime's shield.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

"It looked like you two were repelled." Ven said, having observed what happened.

"We were." Ichigo said, the looking at his hand. " _That capability…is that a part Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka?_ " He thought.

Nnoitra continue to walk towards Yachiru, who stood motionless.

"Leave her alone!" Kairi yelled.

"Santen Kesshun!" Orihime created an orange shield between Nnoitra and Yachiru

"That's nothing!" Nnoitra said as he was about to destroy Orihime's shield but was kicked in the face and knocked back a few feet. Nnoitra looked and glared at Nelliel, who stood be the other three girls and him, her sword drawn.

"So, finally decided to step into the fight Nelliel?" Nnoitra jeered.

"Your senseless rampage ends today." Nel declared. "Until Sora and Ichigo can fight, I won't let you hurt anyone else. I have dealt with your Resurrección before, remember."

Nnoitra laughed mockingly, not intimidated by her threat. "Yeah, so what? That was a long time ago. Did you really think the level of the Espada's stood the same after you vanished." He stated as he drew one of his scythes. "I'm about to show you that mark on your back means nothing now!"

Nel thought of what he said and knew he was right. Since her spirit energy was still low, even since her restoration, she wouldn't last long against Nnoitra, unless she also…

" _I was hoping to refrain from using my Resurrección until after I've recovered. But now I have no choice."_ Nel held her sword in front of her horizontally. "Praise-"

"Hey Greenie?" Nel turned to Yachiru, who pointed. "You should get outta the way."

Barely reacting in time, Nel jumped out of the way as Nnoitra sensed a monstrous amount of spirit energy emanating from behind him. In a flash, Nnoitra jumped out of the smoke with one of his hands cut off. The Fifth Espada looked at the direction of where the attack came from and saw Kenpachi standing. The captain merely cracked his neck, stretching it.

"Kenpachi!" Ichigo shouted, happy to see he was still standing.

"Jeez, can anything stop this guy." Ven asked, bemused at his durability.

"Three arms left to go." Kenpachi said confidently. He then turned to Nel, who stood from a distance, slightly panting from barely dodging his attack. "Hey, woman!"

Nel's head perked as she faced the captain. "Yes?"

"Get outta the way. I don't need your help killing this Espada. I can do it on my own." Kenpachi stated. Nel stared at him for a moment, then turned to Orihime and Kairi, still away from everyone else. Nel nodded. "Very well. Just don't underestimate him."

With that, she used Sonido to get away. Kenpachi refocused on the Espada, who glared daggers at the captain. "Damn it!" Nnoitra cursed.

"I should have warned you. If you attack me, Kenny's gonna get awfully angry." Yachiru said.

"I'm not getting angry. Now quiet!" Kenpachi snapped back. "You were playing dead? That was a cheap trick, pal." Nnoitra said.

"It wasn't a trick. I needed time to think." Kenpachi corrected. "You had four arms at time. Which makes attacking you much more involved. So I was thinking, trying to figure out how to keep you blocking me. But the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't come up with any good ideas." He then stated. "And so, I think I'll cut off your arms one at a time."

Kairi and Orihime couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted at the thought. The guys and Nel just had deadpanned expressions.

"He's…gonna cut them all off." Terra said.

"That's just reckless." Nel said.

"It's disgusting." Kairi said.

Yachiru however, thought differently. "That's really smart because if you cut them all off then he can't fight."

"What's that?" Kenpachi said, hearing her. "You're right. I misspoke, I'll leave you one-armed."

"Right?" Nnoitra said with a smirk. "You'll leave me one-armed? This is getting really stupid. Enough of this. That arm of mine you just cut off is the last one you'll ever touch. In fact, this will help you understand." Golder aura surrounded Nnoitra and the arm that Kenpachi cut off grew back, much to everyone's surprise.

"You talked about how you were going to defeat cutting off all of my arms. That's a bit premature, for someone who will be dead in a moment." Nnoitra charged towards Kenpachi and grabbed a scythe from his cut-off arm. "I'm about to prove something to you! You're weaker than me, Soul Reaper!" Nnoitra swung his scythes at Kenpachi, who blocks them with swords but is getting pushed back. Kenpachi blocked another one of Nnoitra's attacks but the force of it, pushed him back and made through one of the buildings behind him.

"Ha, what a lightweight! Getting blown around like a leaf in the wind! That makes it hard to slash with my attacks!" Nnoitra jumped towards the destroyed building. "Maybe, you're afraid and simply running to hide!"

To his surprise, Kenpachi kicked his foot out of the rubble, but Nnoitra dodged in surprise, not expecting that attack. Kenpachi then grabbed Nnoitra's face and slammed him hard on the ground. He attempted to slash him with his sword but Nnoitra blocked the attack with his scythes but found it hard to push the captain back.

"What the hell?" Nnoitra said still putting pressure on the Squad 11 Captain.

"What's the matter?" Kenpachi said with a smirk. "Shouldn't I be dead now?"

"Yes." Nnoitra responded. Then Kenpachi felt something piercing through his stomach and started to cough up blood. Everyone looked in horror at the sight of it. How could Nnoitra do that if all his arms were occupied at the moment.

"You idiot. You are so delusional. You can't cut off my arms. It's not that simple." Nnoitra smirked and jumped back a few feet, where everyone saw that he had grown another set of arms, one of the arms covered by Kenpachi's blood. "Here's the reality that is your fate. You're about to be slashed to pieces by all six of my deadly arms!"

"Kenny." Yachiru cried as Nnoitra laughed at the captian manically.

* * *

 _BOOM_

In another part of Las Noches, one of the doors was blown right off. The dust soon settled, revealing Ashido, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy walking through.

"Looks like we made it." Ashido said, looking around the morning desert. The Disney Trio also observed their surroundings.

"I guess that short cut you should us really came through Ashido." Mickey praised.

"I once saw Sora coming through that tunnel a month ago." He explained. "I thought of exploring it, but the Menos' number kept increasing by the day and I didn't have the chance."

Donald and Goofy noticed somethings about the area.

"Say, was it also morning here?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we were in that forest for hours." Donald assumed.

"It shouldn't be." Ashido claimed. "There is no morning in Hueco Mundo. It's nothing but endless night."

Mickey hummed in thought, then said. "Well, we can focus on that later. What we need to do right now is finding our friends."

Donald and Goofy nodded. "Right!" the latter looked over at Ashido. "Say Ashido, do you know where we might be going?"

Ashido shook his head. "I'm sorry but this is the first time I've ever been to Las Noches. I knew of the path to take us there, but as for guiding you here, I'm afraid I won't be any help."

The others looked down for a moment, but then the King happily said, "Don't worry. You've been plenty helpful to us Ashido. I'm sure we will manage after…"

"Wait!" Ashido yelled, catching everyone by surprised.

"What's the big idea!?" Donald shouted, irritated.

"I'm sensing several spiritual pressures all across the area." The Soul Reaper exclaimed and said, "And they belong to Soul Reapers."

"Soul Reapers!" Mickey said. "Then it looks like the Soul Society has finally made its move."

"Your majesty, where do we go?" Donald asked.

"Well, let's head over to the nearest one." Mickey turned to the Soul Reaper. "Ashido, can you point the closet location."

Aizen observed the area, then looked at the distance northwest of their area. "I'm sensing a powerful spirit energy that why."

"Then let's go." Mickey then lead the other as the dashed through the desert.

* * *

Back in the battlefield, everyone watched as Kenpachi stood motionless after having been pierced in the gut.

"Damn it." Ichigo cursed knowing that the situation is bad.

"This guy has six arms!" Orihime said scared, looking at the espada.

"I knew he had a trick up his sleeve." Ven barked while Sora narrowed his eyes at the Espada. Nnoitra looked the captain with a wicked smirk on his face as he created two more scythes for him to wield. "It's all over, Soul Reaper!"

"Kenpachi!" Ichigo cried, wanting to help him. Sora was also feeling the same way; he's been standing at the sidelines for so long that he wanted to get back into the battle. If only he could…his eyes snapped wide as he looked at his leg, which was now fully healed. He then looked down and saw that the rest of his condition was back to full health, no scratch or bruises left on him.

" _That's it! I'm healed!"_ Sora thought, then summoned his Keyblade. Then, with a swing, he scattered the shield, freeing himself.

"Sora!" Orihime cried.

"You're all better now!" Kairi said, shock and relief. Sora moved his arm up and down, seeing his peek condition. With a smile, he said. "Yeah. Guess I'm back in the fight."

"Alright!" Ven cheered while Terra smiled. "Now you can finally defeat Nnoitra."

"Even so, you should be careful. Nnoitra is even more powerful in his Resurrección. If you are not careful, then you can be killed." Nel warned.

"It's not like I was planning on dying." Sora said. "Besides I might have a plan to deal with those arms of his."

"Don't get involved." Sora stopped in his tracks as he looked at Yachiru. "Remember what he said? This is Kenny's fight and Kenny's alone. Sorry spiky, but you heard him. No one interferes."

"Are you insane. Kenpachi's already looking banged up." Ichigo argued. "Sora might have the only chance of saving him."

"He won't lose." Yachiru said strongly. "Kenny's not gonna die because he promised. And I believe him."

Ichigo just looked in disbelief while Sora looked on to the battle, seeing Kenpachi staying motionless. However, to his surprise, he spotted a smirk forming in his face.

"Heh"

Nnoitra gave a puzzled looked, before seething his teeth.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Nnoitra's eyes widened as Kenpachi laughed manically. What was going on with him?

"Now we're talking!" Kenpachi said. "This is great! We're having some fun now!" Everyone was baffled beyond belief at seeing Kenpachi expression joy despite his condition. "You think you this fight is over? How can it be over when I just got this nice hole in my gut?" Kenpachi said to the Espada. Hell now it's an even fight again. So, where did we leave off, Espada?"

With a burst of speed, Kenpachi swung his sword and slashed a stone slab clean in half, Nnoitra barely dodging it. He then grabbed one of his scythes and slashed deep into the captain's left shoulder. However, Kenpachi only smiled and attack with Nnoitra blocking the attack with his scythes. The two crossed blades again and to counter slashes with Nnoitra winning by kicking Kenpachi away. He recovered and charged again as Nnoitra blocked it, the clashing blades released a powerful shockwave of spirit energy that everyone tried their best to withstand the blow.

Bursting out of the cloud, Nnoitra ran up the wall of one of the red pillars, jumping high in the air. He spun around and sliced a good portion of the pillar off. The piece falling to where the captain stood. He looked up and, with no intent in dodging, smirked as he jabbed his sword in, slicing the portion clean in half. As it split apart, Kenpachi saw Nnoitra from behind the pillar. He made to slam his scythes on him but Kenpachi countered with a sword strike. The then engaged in a clash of blades, as Nnoitra dealt many cuts Kenpachi, he showed no sign of pain, only laughing in thrill.

" _What the hell?"_ Nnoitra thought as he cut Kenpachi on his torso. " _I'm the one cutting him?_ " Nnoitra continued to slash Kenpachi but the captain continued to fight back. " _He's the one that's bleeding. And yet nothing works, no matter how I hurt him_. _How does he keep coming back?_ " Kenpachi cut him across the cheek as they soon stood apart from each other as menacing gold aura began to surround Kenpachi.

Nnoitra began to feel slightly intimidated by the captain's power. However, he wasn't going to accept defeat, not when he's come this far. " _I…am the strongest. The strongest. THE STRONGEST!_ " He charged towards the captain in rage, determined to kill him once and for all.

"This has gone on for too long!" Nnoitra shouted at the Captain. "Hurry up and die!" He passed by Kenpachi and cut him across the neck.

"KENPACHI!" Sora and Ichigo cried while Kairi and Orihime covered their mouths in shock. While Nnoitra smirked in satisfaction.

Kenpachi merely placed a hand over at the injury in his neck and saw that he was bleeding badly. "Huh if we keep this up, I think there is a chance that I'll die." He said.

"Oh Kenny no." Yachiru said, not wanting him to die. Kenpachi stood silent for a moment, then declared, "I'd hate to die."

Everyone looked at Kenpachi, wondering what move he will try next. "Oh well then. Guess I have no choice. It's been a while since I've tried this, but it's time for some Kendo."

"Hold on, what did you say?" Nnoitra asked angrily.

"Back when I joined the 13 Court Guard Squads, the old man made me learn Kendo, said it might come in handy someday." Kenpachi remembered when Yamamoto trained him and how he could never beat him in a single match. "It wasn't my cup of tea. Kendo, the way of the sword. Sounded so pretentious, I never used it. But let me tell yah, there was one thing I took away from it. An important lesson, that a sword becomes more powerful when it's swung with both hands instead of just one." Kenpachi let out a smirk, which Nnoitra noticed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nnoitra asked angrily. "You idiot. Of course it does. THAT SHOULD BE PERFECTLY OBVIOUS!" He bellowed as he charged to attack Kenpachi. However, he made no attempt to dodge, "You don't know the half of it. You have no idea just how much stronger it can make a man."

Kenpachi stood perfectly still and then grabbed the hilt of his blade with both hands. Nnoitra widen his eye seeing the captain's change in nature.

" _Is he giving up? He's just standing there!"_ Nnoitra thought as he closes in on Kenpachi. " _I am the strongest! I AM THE STRONGEST!_ " Kenpachi grasped the sword tightly and raised it above his head, bringing it down and releasing a powerful slash that hit Nnoitra, creating a shockwave that kicks up the sand around the two. This is the only Kendo technique Kenpachi learned " _Ryōdan_ ".

The spectators held on as they endured the shockwave from Kenpachi's attack.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked, barely keeping her eyes opened.

"I don't know. I can't see anything." Ven replied.

"I believe Captain Zaraki may have settled the battle." Nel assumed. Sora and Ichigo observed the spot where the two warriors stood. Then, to his surprise, one of Nnoitra's horns flew out of the dust. When the dust settled, they could see Kenpachi standing and Nnoitra lying on the ground with a massive cut on his body and three hands missing. Nonetheless, he was barely alive.

"He won…" Orihime said while Kairi sighed in relief. Yachiru smiled widely and jump, cheering for Kenpachi's victory.

"Kenpachi did it! He beat him!" Ichigo said. Ven laughed in relief while Terra smirked. Sora however, decided to walk over to where the other two were.

Ichigo noticed this. "Sora, where are you-" "I just have somethings to settle."

The others looked confused while Nel looked to Ichigo with a small smile. "Don't worry. I'll go with Sora." She said as she walked over to him.

"Well look at you. You're a lot tougher than I thought." Kenpachi complemented.

"Damn you." Nnoitra cursed, panting heavily. Kenpachi turned around and started to walk towards the others. "See ya around." He said until…

"What the…hold on!" The Fifth Espada shouted. Kenpachi stopped in his track, turning to the Espada. "What do you want?" He asked, annoyed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nnoitra angerly said, getting on his knees. "This thing is nowhere near over."

"Are you dumb?" Kenpachi said. "I believe it just ended. And I'm not about to finish off somebody who can't even fight back."

"Oh! Is that so?" Nnoitra got back to his feet. "Then I'll say it again, this thing isn't over yet. Because, in case you didn't notice, I can still fight you back." Kenpachi narrowed his eyes at the espada. "What's wrong? Come on, say something. Or are you just too damn scared?" Nnoitra pointed his scythe at Kenpachi. "Answer me! Are you scared of me, Soul Reaper?!"

"Once again, your bloodlust knows no bounds." Nnoitra saw Nel and Sora standing between them, the former giving the Espada a soft look. "Stay down Nnoitra. You cannot possibly keep fighting in your condition."

Nnoitra glared at Nel with pure hatred. "Be quiet! Unless you want me to kill you first."

Sora had reached a boiling point with Nnoitra's stubbornness. "You've already lost this fight. Will you just give up for once?"

Furious, Nnoitra turned to the Keyblade Wielder, holding his weapon tightly. Sora was not intimidated by the Espada, instead he just felt completely sorry for him. Nnoitra noticed that expression…and he hated it.

"Stop looking at me like that." Nnoitra demanded. "You're probably getting a kick out of this? Why don't you attack me as payback for what I did to you."

Sora, however, just shook his head. "No, like Kenpachi, I don't attack people who can't fight back, unlike you."

Nnoitra grind his teeth angrily. "Then why don't fight me for what I did to Nelliel. Remember I was the one who cracked her skull and left her for dead!"

"I remember." Sora said. "Honestly, I still hate you for it. But I'm not going to attack you. You're not worth it, you never were."

"What?" Nnoitra asked in a guttural voice.

"All this time, you've gone on about being the strongest. You tried to prove it by picking fights with everyone you met, even fights you can't win." Sora went on. "Now, you're just acting like a sore loser. Just because you lost doesn't mean that you're weak. Even I've lost a few times before, but I always managed to pick myself up in the end. If you can't even learn to accept your failure…then that doesn't make you a warrior."

"Who asked you!" Nnoitra said as he tried swinging his blade at Sora, but Nel blocked the attack.

"You haven't changed at all Nnoitra. Not even once." Nel said, frowning. "You are clearly outmatched. The one you are hurting is yourself."

"Kill me then." Nnoitra yelled. "Kill me and grant me a warrior's death."

"Are you out of your mind!" Sora exclaimed, not knowing Nnoitra would go to such extremes.

"I refuse." Nel said. "You are still not worthy of honorable death. I still have no desire to be burdened with the life of one who is no warrior."

"SHUT UP!" Nnoitra coughed loudly from the pain of his injuries. Seeing that Sora or Nelliel had no intent to grant his wish, he turned to the captain, who stood silent and watched the scene unfold. "Then why don't you finish the job Soul Reaper. If you're man enough."

Kenpachi remained silent for a moment, then sighed in defeated. "What a pain in the ass." Kenpachi turned towards Nnoitra and prepared to attack. "Fine then. It's not like it was their call to begin with. You wanna keep fighting, then bring it on."

Sora was about to interject, when Nel grabbed his shoulder. He saw her shake her head, telling him not to get involved. He sighed as he followed Nel to a safe distance.

Nnoitra charged in towards the captain, ready to strike with his remaining scythe. As he did, he thought back to the time when he was the Eighth Espada and when he once laid waste to an entire colony of Hollows, prompting Nelliel to ask him why as he was given no order to do so. He merely stated that no one ever ordered him not to kill them. When she reminded him of Aizen's orders to "seek the Vasto Lorde", he said that not everyone has loyalty towards Aizen and explained that if he kills these "rebels", it would do good in Aizen's favor. He further reasoned with Nelliel about these ideals, until he was suddenly attacked, knocking him unconscious.

" _I will not lose. There's no way I could lose! I am…I AM!"_ He drifted off into another memory when he woke up and saw that Nelliel sitting near him reading a book while a dead Hollow laid nearby. He asked her why she helped him, and Nelliel simply told him that she did not 'help him' but prevented the Espada from losing a member by putting an end to his suicidal behavior. He explained that he couldn't stand her and that she would obviously know that, so why would she keep following him around. She simply stared at him and stated that it's because he was weaker than her. That comment infuriated him to no end.

" _Don't be ridiculous. Everybody always feels so much pity for me. Don't they realize they're only rubbing salt in my wounds? I will show them no mercy. Whether they're strong or whether they're weak, whether they're only a child or some monstrous beast, I will kill them with one blow…so that they'll never have the strength to pity me again. I am…_ " Nnoitra got closer to Kenpachi, ready to strike. "I AM!"

However, Kenpachi used Ryōdan to slash Nnoitra, breaking the Espada's weapon and cutting him down. Nnoitra began bleeding profusely as he slowly falls to the ground. He stared in the sky briefly before eying Sora. In the briefest moment, he had flashes of the human that he could never kill, the one who beat him. While it caused him to hate Sora as much as Nel, Nnoitra silently admitted that fighting him was very…exciting. Of course the stronger Sora got the angrier he became, but that just made him want to fight more.

Then he looked at Nel. The only other person he could never defeat no matter how hard he tried. In the end, Nel always got the better of him and he always blamed her for his despair. Yet, in that brief moment, his only regret was that he could have fought her one last time and showed her he had changed in strength.

Nel noticed Nnoitra's short gazed and knew what he was thinking. Even though they have had their differences in the past, Nel couldn't help but feel sorrow for his final moment.

"Nnoitra." Nel whispered mournfully as Nnoitra fell to the ground and saw him die, finally being given the death he always wanted.

 _To be continued…_

 _ **A/N: Finally, the last battle with the Espadas have come to an end. I know Kenpachi vs Nnoitra was like the canon, but I also added scenes with Sora and Nel, given they have had a strong impact on Nnoitra. Then there is the scene where Sora finally told off Nnoitra of his inability to move on from defeat and grow strong, something that was always a flaw for him.**_

 _ **Anyways, now that the Keyblade Wielders and Soul Reapers have had their battles, the real fight begins. As I have said, this will drift from the canon, with Sora and Ichigo taking on Ulquiorra and everyone else gathering. I have plans for the battles with Ulquiorra and Yammy, but I am most anxious to do the Karakura Town battles. For now though, the main focus is on the next chapter.**_

 _ **Next Time: With half the Espada defeated, Aizen finally begins his assault on Karakura Town. Old enemies return, friends reunite, and Sora and Ichigo are back in the battle. Please review and don't flame.**_

 _ **Review Time:**_

 _ **Foreteller Luxu:**_ _Don't worry. I have a special chapter plan where everyone gathers together for a special moment. The Arrancars will have their meeting with Roxas and the Destiny Islands…you'll see. I'm sure you might be right about who it was, but you'll see later. As for who Halibel will fight, will there wouldn't be a better match than having her fight her predecessor. If Riku could learn to accept darkness and light, then I see no reason Terra can't do the same. And yes, Nel will eventually stay in her adult form permanently._

 _ **Hotstreak's crossover stories:**_ _Yeah, he is a prick. As for Aqua, while he had her lose her composure a few times, she's just not the type to hit people, unless they are enemies. I did have her berate Mayuri for his actions._

 _ **Khy Dragon:**_ _While a fusion between them is an interesting idea, I don't have any plans for it in this story. However, I might file it for a sequel._

 _ **Antex-The Legendary Zoroark:**_ _Yeah, the power of dawn proved too much for Zommari. This just shows how far Riku has come since becoming a Keyblade Master._


	20. Ulquiorra's Secret!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: Nineteenth chapter up and ready for reading. Please read and enjoy the story. Please note that I do not own anything that isn't mine.**_

 _ **(Cue 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 20: "Ulquiorra's Secret! The Depth of True Despair!"**_

The battle was over. Sora, Nel, and Kenpachi stood over at Nnoitra's lifeless body, lying flat on the ground with a single eye opened. Then, Nel walked over to his corpse and stopped, remaining motionless for a few seconds. Sora raised an eyebrow while Kenpachi looked stone-faced. Nel then swung her sword and created a small shockwave that ripped the sand off the ground, creating a deep hole large enough for Nnoitra's height. She then effortlessly lifted Nnoitra off the ground with one arm and gently placed his body into the hole, then buried it. Coincidentally, the hole was right next to one of Nnoitra's scythes. This however served as a grave mark for Nnoitra.

Nel gently patted the sand, then stood up straight and gave Nnoitra's grave one last look then turned to walk away. Seeing Nel pass by, Sora remained hesitant at first, but then asked. "Nel…"

"Nnoitra always said that his only wish was to die in the midst of battle, to have his life leave his body before he dies." Nel paused for a moment, before continuing while turning her peripherals. "Although he did not die a warrior's death, he still proved himself strong to the very end. I'm sure you and he can rest in peace. Take comfort in knowing that he fought till his dying breath…just as he always wanted."

Sora turns and sees the person who she was looking at was Tesla, laying mortally wounded on ground. He sheds a lone tear at the sight of his master's grave before closing his lone eye a final time.

"Thank you." He whispered before succumbing to his own wounds. Sora, though he and Nnoitra had their differences, took the time to mourn for the Espada and Fraccion. Then snapped himself out of it and walked on to the others.

Kenpachi looked over at Nnoitra's grave, before giving a wide smirk. "Good fight Nnoitra." He praised, using the Espada's name for the first time. "That was fun." With nothing left to be said, Kenpachi walked over to the others, ripping off his tattered haori.

"Kenpachi?" Ichigo said as the captain got closer to the orange shield in front of him. Without warning, Kenpachi lifted his foot up and stomped on the shield, destroying it easily and surprising Ichigo and the others. "What's the matter with you?! Are you crazy?!" Kenpachi grabbed Ichigo by the collar and threw in the air.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried as Ichigo landed on his feet. "Hey, I'm on your side!" Ichigo exasperatedly shouted at Kenpachi.

"Your sword…pick it up." Kenpachi ordered. Ichigo looked over at his Zanpakutō, Tensa Zangetsu, that had been lying on the sand, which he then picked it up. "Now that you got it, take the woman and your new best friends and go home. Your work here is done. It's time for us to take over."

Terra's eyes widened in surprise. "You want us to leave?"

"What are you saying?!" Ichigo fired back. "I've come this far; I'm going to see it through."

"That's right." Sora said, walking next to Ichigo. "I planned on fighting Aizen after I returned Orihime and found Kairi. Now that I've done those, I'm going to stop him."

"What are you two?" Kenpachi then looked to Ichigo. "You're a substitute soul reaper. Your job is to protect Karakura Town. Isn't that right? You've rescued this woman. You should be satisfied." He then turned to Sora. "As for you, you weren't even supposed to be here but got dragged into this by Aizen. Now that you've found your friends, your job here is done."

"So take what I'm saying and go home. You guys have had your share of fighting. Now it's time for the professionals to take over." Then Kenpachi looked at Terra and Ven. "Same thing goes to you two. The old man only agreed to let you guys come here to find your missing friends. Now get them and the rest of your team and leave."

Ven didn't like the idea of leaving. "Well you can't just expect us to leave when-" Ven stopped when Terra placed a hand on his should. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. Now that we have found Sora and Kairi, we should leave Hueco Mundo. First, we need to find Aqua, Riku and the others."

"That's right. You said they came with you but got separated." Kairi recalled what they told her. "But we don't even know where they are."

"Don't worry, I'll help you find them." Nel happily said. "I know my way around Las Noches. So, I should help you navigate through it."

"And I still have to find my friends." Ichigo said, remembering they are still in some other part in Las Noches.

"Woman!" Kenpachi abruptly yelled, addressing Orihime, causing her to flinch. "Ah…yes sir!"

"Come and heal my wounds." He ordered.

"Ah right!" Orihime replied and began running to the Squad 11 Captain. However, as she got closer towards Kenpachi…

 _Flash_

Starrk appeared in front of her and grabbed Orihime's shoulder, much to everyone's surprise, especially Sora's. "Sorry for this." Starrk said. "I don't enjoy these kinds of assignments, but I have my orders."

"Starrk!" Everyone turned to see Sora was the one who yelled, addressing the man who held on to Orihime. Orihime looked up and recognize him as the same Espada who confronted them earlier, and apparently has a history with Sora. Starrk looked at Sora with a monotonous expression.

"Hey Sora." He merely said.

"Let her go Starrk." Sora warned, narrowing his eyes. Starrk sighed. "Sorry, Sora. But I got no say in the matter. I already warned you to leave Hueco Mundo with her before Lord Aizen got involved."

"Hang on! Sora, you know this guy?" Ichgio asked, not liking this confusion. Terra and Ven were also confused.

Sora nodded. "It's a long story." Starrk looked at the group, from the captain who killed Nnoitra, to the Substitute Soul Reaper, then to two new people who summoned their Keyblades, however the next one was a surprising sight.

"Hello Starrk." Nel said, remaining calm.

"Nelliel." Starrk said with a slight surprise tone. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Starrk, please." Nel said with sadness. "You don't need to do this. Not to Sora or Orihime."

Sora tried one more time. "Starrk, you can stop this. It's not too late. Do you really think things are better by joining Aizen?"

Starrk looked at the ground, with Sora noticing a look of regret in his eyes. "I wish things could have gone differently." Then, with a stern look, he told them, "Sorry, but I need to borrow her for a bit."

"Not if I can help it." Starrk gasped as Kairi jumped from behind the rubble and grabbed on to his arm. Kairi had snuck off when Starrk arrived and used his distraction to get the drop on him. "Let go of her." She grunted as she tried to free Orihime from his grip.

"What the!" Starrk was about to shake her off when he saw Sora, Ichigo, Terra, Ven, Nel, and Kenpachi drawing their swords and charging towards the Espada. "Damn it!" Starrk cursed, knowing he had no time, he used Sonido to escape the area, taking Orihime and Kairi with him, making the attackers stop in their tracks.

"They're…gone." Ichigo said in disbelief, while Kenpachi grunted at their misfortune. Sora down at the ground. "Kairi." He whispered, frustrated at losing her yet again.

Nel gently held his shoulder, comforting him. "I'm sorry, Sora." She said.

Ven just looked at the spot where they disappeared. "So…now what?" He asked. Terra just shook his head, unsure of what to do.

* * *

Meanwhile, Starrk had reappeared in a room in the fifth tower, just as he was ordered to. He dropped off his two captives and disappeared.

Orihime opened her eyes while Kairi looked around frantically. "Where are we?"

"Welcome back, Orihime and…Kairi." Orihime and Kairi looked at where the voice was coming from and saw Aizen walking towards.

The two girls started to get scared. "Aizen!" Kairi gasped.

"What's wrong? I thought you two would be happy to see us now that you're back again. But you two looked so troubled." Then, Aizen reached his hands and touched Orihime's chin and Kairi's head. "You two should try to smile. Everyone gets so depressed when the sun doesn't shine." He said. "Smile and wait here for a while. That's all you two need to do. Just until…" Then, to their shock, a Garganta opened up from where Gin and Tōsen are standing, revealing Karakura Town. "Just until, my men and I are finished destroying Karakura Town." Aizen finished.

Orihime's and Kairi's eyes widen in horror. "You're going to destroy…Karakura Town?!" The former asked, scared.

"That's right." Aizen said, walking towards Gin and Tōsen. "I need to destroy Karakura Town to create the Ōken." Aizen turned towards Tōsen. "Kaname."

"Yes." Tōsen responded.

"The Tenteikūra." Aizen ordered. "Right." Tōsen threw two white diamonds shaped pieces in the air and extended his hand to side, blacks markings forming on his arm and his palm. Then, two squares, one black and one white appeared, floating. "Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra."

"Can you hear me, my daring intruders?" Aizen said, getting everyone's attention. The Keyblade Wielders were on guard since they didn't recognize that voice, but the Soul Reapers knew who it belonged to.

* * *

"Who just said that?" Roxas asked, getting in a defensive stance, along with Lea.

"I don't know. It came out of nowhere." Xion said, getting confused.

"No. It can't be…" The Keyblade Wielders looked at the frightened Gantenbainne, who shook in dread.

* * *

"That awful voice." Rukia said, knowing who it is.

Riku gave her a confused look. "You know who it is?"

"Only one person." Byakuya narrowed his eyes.

* * *

"Aizen." Sora and Ichigo said spitefully.

"So…that's Aizen." Terra said, narrowing his eyes as he looked in the sky.

* * *

"They're using the Tenteikūra." Isane, who returned after treating Hanatarō's and Rukia's injuries, said to Unohana, who Unohana nodded.

"Tenteikūra?" Lea questioned. "What's that?"

* * *

"I commend you for coming this far, Captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads and Guardians of Light. And I praise your teamwork in defeating my Espadas." Aizen continued. "As a reward, I'll tell you this much. We are proceeding with our plan to invade the World of the Living."

* * *

"What's that?!" Ichigo said shocked.

"They're gonna attack the town?" Sora exclaimed.

* * *

"They're what?!" Uryū said, also shocked. "I thought they determined that such an invasion was impossible to carry out unless Orihime awakened the Hōgyoku."

Aqua contemplated the situation. "If so…then something must have happened."

* * *

"Wait a minute, where is Orihime?" Rukia questioned.

* * *

"Orihime Inoue is being held in the fifth tower." Aizen said. "Not only that, but another of your dear comrades is also with Orihime. The Princess of Light; Kairi."

* * *

"What's that!?" Riku exclaimed.

* * *

"Kairi's here!" Roxas said in shock.

"Oh no!" Said Xion. Though finding Kairi was great, the fact that she was being held prisoner was discouraging.

* * *

"If you want to affect their rescue, feel free to come and get them." Aizen said, narrowing his eyes. "They are no longer of any use to me."

* * *

"What's that?" Chad said in confusion.

"What's he talking about?!" Roxas barked.

* * *

"They are…no use?" Renji repeated.

"What did he do to them." Aqua shouted.

* * *

"Their powers are indeed amazing." Aizen said. "One with the ability to reject all forms of phenomena is beyond anything the human race has ever demonstrated. And the other who possess a heart of pure light to reject all forms of darkness. The leaders of the Soul Society are not fools. They have understood the importance of one of these powers from the beginning." He explained, referring to Orihime. "That's why her captive was such a threat to them. It helps to explain their response to her. They were afraid. They immediately took steps to protect not the World of the Living, but the Soul Society itself. Orihime's very presence caused them mobilized. She became the bait to bring in the Soul Society potential new military strength; the Ryoka. Which included the Substitute Soul Reaper and his friends."

* * *

"Damn it!" Rukia cursed, Riku feeling just as angry.

* * *

"As for the Keyblade Wielder who vanquished Master Xehanort," Aizen said, referring to Sora. "I have analyzed his personality and how quick he is to respond to when one of his dear friend's is missing or captured." Aizen said. "That response is to solely search for them in a half-baked rescue attempt. Even if it comes to using a powerful technique reckless. That is why I have used that knowledge to abduct Kairi, and her presence here led the Power of Waking to lure Sora into Hueco Mundo, despite warnings of the consequences."

* * *

"He did what?!" Aqua said angered.

* * *

"They used her bait?!" Lea roared, angered. They all realized how Sora ended up in Hueco Mundo

* * *

"Aizen!" Sora said, furious at being reminded of Aizen's deception. Terra and Ven quickly understood what Aizen did to lure Sora.

* * *

"If you're wondering about your fate of the four captains and the Keyblade Wielders, don't worry." Aizen said. "I was able to imprison them in Hueco Mundo." With that said, the five Gargantas used to bring the Keyblade Wielders and Soul Reapers to Las Noches began to close and were sealed.

* * *

Isane gasped as she slammed her palm to the ground, sensing the area of the Garanta. She gasped when she realized what Aizen had done. "The Four Gargantas that we used in order to get here have all been sealed." Isane said.

"Wait, we're trapped!" Xion shouted.

* * *

Pesche and Dondochakka began shaking in fear at what had happened.

"Oh no! This is bad Pesche!" Dondochakka screamed.

"I know. The Gargantas are closed! We're all trapped!" Pesche panicked.

Aqua and Uryū, ignoring the two Arrancars cries, turned to Mayuri, the latter asking, "Wait a minute, can't we open them up from this side?"

"That's right. You came here through a Garganta. Can't you open it again?" Aqua asked.

"I'm afraid it's impossible." Mayuri said. "The trouble is that there's only one person who knows how the Garganta works. And that, unfortunately, is Kisuke Urahara. If we can't contact him, I'm afraid opening them again is going to present something of a problem. As much as I hate to admit it."

* * *

"So, that's what happened." Ven said, as he and Terra were explained by Sora of what Aizen had done.

"Damn it!" Terra cursed. "He used Kairi to lure you to Hueco Mundo. And he was also hoping that we would take the bait and keep us trapped here."

Ichigo turned to Nel. "Nel, you were an Espada once. Can't you open one of those Gargantas yourself?"

Nel shook her head, her eye's showing shame. "I can't. Because of my cracked mask, my powers have yet to fully return. Opening a Garganta will take too much out of me."

Sora sighed. "Then what do we do?"

* * *

Aizen began passed through the portal, that was linking the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo.

"The strength of the 13 Court Guards is simple when you break it down." He said. "The 13 captains have the ability to stand as a military force of their own. But now, however, three have defective and four of them are imprisoned. If you do the math, you could say that the military power of the Soul Society has been cut in half. It makes our job easy." Aizen stopped as he reached the other side of the portal and looked down at Karakura Town.

"We will destroy Karakura Town, create the Ōken, and overthrow the Soul Society." Aizen concluded. "When all of this is done, I shall take each of you on in my ledger."

* * *

Ichigo widen his eyes in realization on what Aizen said. "Karakura Town…destroyed?"

"We can't let that happen." Terra stated. However, Aizen's voice boomed one last time.

" _My final words go to my former ally, Sora."_

Sora glared in the sky when Aizen said his name.

" _I'm impressed that you have survived the ordeals of Las Noches."_ Aizen said. _"Once you have rescued Orihime and Kairi, I do hope you make it to Karakura Town. There, you shall have what you have thrown away by betraying me."_

"Just you wait, Aizen." Sora narrowed his eyes. "He said Kairi and Orihime are at the fifth tower, right? Then let's go.

"Right!" Ichigo nodded his head.

"Hold on, you two." Kenpachi said, stopping the Keyblade Wielder and Substitute Soul Reaper. "Where are you two going? What the hell do you guys think you'll be able to accomplish?"

"We plan to save our friends." Sora replied. "You expect us to just stand here?"

"Karakura Town is in real danger!" Ichigo snapped back. "Do I just wait for them to destroy it?"

"Didn't I mention this? The old man gave Kisuke Urahara a set of orders." Kenpachi reminded them. "He waited until he knew the final battle was coming in winter, then he acted. The first order was to the captains, they were all assigned to duty in Hueco Mundo. Do you know what the second order was? It went to the rest of the officers."

* * *

In Karakura Town, a group of figures appeared sprinting through air until they are few feet from the Garganta that Aizen created. Once they reached the area, they all stood in the air, ready for the upcoming war that was to take place. The figures were revealed as followed:

The first was Squad 2 Captain Suì-Fēng. Next to her was a large, overweight man. He has black hair and wears the standard Soul Reaper robes with a large purple collar. His name is Marechiyo Ōmaeda, her pompous lieutenant.

Then, there was Squad 7 Captain Sajin Komamura and a man with a distinctive haircut and wears black sunglasses with his standard Soul Reaper uniform. He is Tetsuzaemon Iba, the lieutenant of Squad 7.

There was also Squad 8 Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and Squad 13 Captain Jūshirō Ukitake. Squad 10 Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood present with his Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto.

There was also a middle-ages man with pupil-less eyes, short silver-gray hair and a small black handlebar mustache with lightly tanned skin. He wears a white jinbaori over a standard Soul Reaper uniform with long white arm guards. He wears a white turtleneck under his uniform and has his lieutenant armband on his left arm. He is the lieutenant of Squad 1, Chōjirō Sasakibe. Next to him was the Squad 1 Captain and Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads; Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

* * *

"It was shortened to the point; every officer of Captain-level was to prepare for battle in Karakura Town." Kenpachi said, ending his explanation.

* * *

"Wait a minute that means the 13 Court Guard Squads are…" Uryū said, having been explained by Mayuri.

"Yes." Mayuri said. "If my calculations are correct, they should've arrived by now."

"Then that means Aizen's walking into a trap." Aqua concluded. The question was would they be enough to hold him at bay.

* * *

"So, all those Soul Reapers Captains are going to take on Aizen?" Gantenbainne exclaimed.

"Guess the cavalry finally came." Lea commented.

"That's crazy. They can't have a battle there." Chad said to the others. "The power of those captains is too much." Chad turned towards Unohana. "What do you think will happen to Karakura Town? I'm telling you right now, it'll be destroyed."

"Are they really that strong?!" Xion asked, wondering of the extent of their power.

* * *

"Remember what I said, everyone should be ready for battle." Byakuya said to Rukia and Riku, who had similar reactions. "That was his order. Think about it. Just increasing the number of captain-level fighters doesn't necessary equate as being 'ready for battle'."

"Then what did he have in mind?" Riku asked.

* * *

"He meant Tenkai Kecchu." Mayuri revealed.

"Tenkai Kecchu? What does that mean?" Aqua asked, confused.

"It means to reconstruct Karakura Town in order to make it possible to fight there." Mayuri explained. "In order to do that, Kisuke Urahara did something creative, he constructed a device called Tenkai Kecchu which connected four pillars to form a giant Senkaimon. He then placed the Tenkai Kecchu around the four corners of Karakura Town. At the same time, he asked my department of Research and Development to do something incredible. He asked us to construct a replica of the entire town, down to the last dwelling. He asked to place it near the Rukon District. An incredible challenge but I have to humbly admit, we pulled it off."

"I amazed you were able to do such a feat in the first place." Aqua breathed in amazement.

"Here's the twist, whatever Tekkai Kecchu encircles can switch something inside the Soul Society." Mayuri stated. "By utilizing this technique, we were able to transfer Karakura Town from its present location into the area surrounding the Rukon District."

* * *

"Wow, I didn't think something like that was possible." Roxas said, having heard the explanation of Tenkai Kecchu from Unohana.

Gantenbainne grunted. "I guess there's more about the Soul Society than I thought."

"Wait a minute, captain." Xion said to Unohana. "What about the residents?"

"We had Master Yen Sid put them to sleep." Unohana said. "And then we transported them and the town to the Soul Society. Master Yen Sid also used his magic to place them in a dream that they are simply going about their daily lives, unaware of the battle."

* * *

"What you see out of now is nothing more than a replica of Karakura Town, completely devoid of people." Mayuri said. "Presuming that the captains will do battle there. Even if the town is destroyed, it won't matter a bit."

* * *

Back in the Fake Karakura Town, Aizen looked down at the gathered Soul Reapers led by Head-Captain Yamamoto.

"Excellent. It seems we made it here in time." Yamamoto said, keeping the façade that they were in the real Karakura Town.

"Made it time?" Aizen questioned. "Now why would you think to say something like that?" Aizen stepped out of the Garganta. "I'm well aware that what lies beneath is not the real Karakura Town. This may come as a surprise but that means to me."

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, seeing their façade had failed. Aizen just smirked, then ordered. "Starrk, Barragan, Halibel, come here."

Then three more Gargantas opened up and revealed the top three Espadas with their Fracciónes behind them: Starrk and Lilynette stepped out of the left one, Barragan stepped out with his six Fracciónes behind him, and Halibel walked out of the right one with Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun behind her.

"If Karakura is in the Soul Society, then we'll just kill you here and create the Ōken within the Soul Society." Aizen declared. Yamamoto remained on guard, preparing for the battle about to take place. 'It is that simple. Until then, I shall leave Las Noches…under your care…Ulquiorra."

* * *

Back in Las Noches, Kairi and Orihime widen their eyes as they heard a sound that was like grass breaking. They turned see a pale hand sticking out of the front of the throne, scattering the air like glass. Then, Ulquiorra came out of the crack he made.

"Sir." Ulquiorra said as the portal closes. Orihime and Kairi turned around and saw Ulquiorra, the former looking at the Fourth Espada in fear.

Though Kairi never met Ulquiorra, she could feel an immense amount of dark energy he was giving off. Which told her that he was someone not to be taken lightly. Ulquiorra looked at the two with his emerald eyes, causing Kairi step back.

* * *

Everyone felt an immense spiritual pressure suddenly appearing, which to Sora, Ichigo, and Nel's knowledge, was Ulquiorra.

"This spirt energy." Nel said with widen eyes. "It can't be."

Terra and Ven looked confused. "Do you know who it belongs to?" the former asked.

Sora nodded. "It belongs to an Espada named Ulquiorra. Among the Espada, his power is ranked 4." Ichigo narrowed his eyes, remembering his past encounter with the Espada. "Grimmjow used something to seal him away but he said it would take three hours." Sora recalled. "An hours hardly past. None of us were expecting to fight him so soon."

"That does sound difficult." Ven said with thought. "But you said beat Nnoitra before and he was ranked 5. That Ulquiorra guy is only one number above."

Nel frowned, remembering what Ulquiorra had done to Ichigo during their last confrontation. "Regardless, Ulquiorra is beyond Nnoitra's level."

"And with Kairi and Orihime as his prisoners, getting them back won't be easy." Terra stated. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, knowing the stakes but knew his friends needed him.

"Kenpachi." Ichigo said, getting the captain's attention. "You said earlier that I had only one job, didn't you? And that job was to protect Karakura Town." Ichigo's expression then grew determined. "You are wrong. I know what my job is. To protect my friends."

"Mine to." Sora stepped up. "I made a promise that I would come back home with Kairi, and I'm not about to break it." He looked to Ichigo, who nodded. With that, Sora and Ichigo sprinted into the air, heading towards the fifth tower.

The rest just watched them go ahead. Kenpachi sighed but smirked. "That kid. What are we gonna do with him?"

"He and Sora appear to be cut from the same cloth." Terra stated. "Maybe not personality wise, but their sense of moral and dedication to protect the people that matter to them is what makes them strong."

"Yeah but they could have brought us with them." Ven complained. "I mean I want to save Orihime and Kairi as much as them. Plus if that Ulquiorra is as strong as they say, then they'll need all the help they can get."

"You are right. They'll need our help." Nel stepped forward, having finished burying Tesla next to Nnoitra. His sword acting as a grave mark. "I know my way to the fifth tower. Follow me."

Terra and Ven nodded, but the former looked back at the captain. "Kenpachi, are you coming?"

The Squad 11 captain shook his head. "I'd love a good fight, but I gotta get myself fixed up first. Unohana's not too far off, so I'll go see her first."

Yachiru climbed on to Kenpachi's shoulder. "Once Kenny's all healed, we'll come and help you guys." She cheered.

Nel nodded, then looked at the two Keyblade Wielders. "Let's go." With that, the three sprinted off to the direction Sora and Ichigo took off to.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ashido, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had heard Aizen's broadcast. Ashido had immediately identified him as Aizen, the person they mentioned, whom he remembered severed as a seated officer in Squad 5.

"This Aizen fella said he was also keeping Kairi as a captive." Mickey said, frowning.

"He also said he used Kairi to bring Sora here." Goofy sternly said.

Donald stomped his foot angrily. "What a dirty trick."

"It's still hard to believe that several Soul Reapers have aligned with the Hollows." Ashido said in disbelief. Though Mickey had explained to him of what has been going on, now that he's seen it, it was too much to take in. Now that he remembered, Rukia seemed hesitant when answering his question if the number of Hollows had decreased since his time in Hueco Mundo. Perhaps she was trying to spare him the pain.

Regardless, now was not the time to dwell on the past. Ashido looked determined and said, "I still don't know the full details, but Sōsuke Aizen has been found guilty of treason against the Soul Society. As a Soul Reaper of the 13 Court Guard Squads, it is my duty to bring him to justice."

The Disney Trio smiled at Ashido's resolve.

"Then what are we standing around for?" The King summoned his Keyblade. "Let's find Sora and rescue Kairi and stop Aizen."

"Yeah, we'll show him." Donald jeered.

"Garwsh, but how do we get to that fifth tower he mentioned." Goofy asked. The remaining three were just as clueless as Goofy, since none of them knew the interior of Las Noches.

"You'll get lost just going off wandering like idiots." A mysterious voice said. "I'll show you the way."

The others turned and brandished their weapons at the person who appeared before them. Said person smirked mischievously as he looked at them.

* * *

In the fifth tower, Ulquiorra walked over towards Orihime and Kairi. He eyed Kairi was a suspicious look. "It seems we have a new guest. Or it would be more appropriate to say that you have been a guest of Las Noches the entire time."

"That's right." Kairi replied, remaining on edge. "You must feel disappointed that your leader left you in the dark for a month."

"That is of no concern." Ulquiorra said. "Whatever the reason, Lord Aizen's wishes are absolute." Kairi narrowed her eyes as Ulquiorra stood before them.

"Now tell me, are you two afraid?" The Fourth Espada asked. "The both of you are useless to Lord Aizen now. There is no one here to protect either of you. You two are alone." Both remained silent as Ulquiorra went on. "It's over. The both of you will die here. You will die with no one to witness it. So I want to know how frightened the two of you are." No one said nothing for a moment, but Orihime was the first to break it.

"I am not…at all." Orihime said firmly.

"I'm not scared either." Kairi said, firmly as well. Ulquiorra's eyes slightly widened at their answer.

"You see, now we know that our friends came to rescue us." Orihime explained.

"And who says we're alone." Kairi interjected. "Even now we're not alone because our hearts…our hearts are connected to them, just like they are connected to us."

Outside of the tower, Ichigo and Sora rushed as fast as they could across the sand, seeing the fifth tower on sight. Then, two Hollows rose out of the sand.

"Out of our way!" Sora yelled as he and Ichigo swung their swords at the Hollow and easily killed them.

"What nonsense." Ulquiorra said. "Neither one of you are scared because your friends have come for you. You two can't be serious. You really believe they can save you?"

"Absolutely." Orihime responded with no hesitation. "When I was told that they were coming here to get me. At first, I was happy, and it also made me sad. After all, the reason I came here was so I can protect them. I thought 'why did I have to come?' 'Didn't they realize what was trying to do?' But then when I felt Rukia's pain, and when I saw Ichigo fighting with all of his might, I finally realizedf none of that mattered."

"But still, I couldn't bare to see Ichigo get hurt." Orihime softly smiled as another person came to mind. "Then, when I met Sora and when he told me of the great lengths he went to rescue his two best friends, it reminded me of what Ichigo would do."

"Then it hit me." Orihime said. "If one of my friends went missing, I would do the exact same thing."

* * *

Outside, Sora and Ichigo stopped as they reached the front of the walls of the fifth tower. Sora looked at Ichigo and nodded, the two jumped up in the air to find an army of Exequias led by Rudbornn on top of the wall.

"You must be the intruder, Ichigo Kurosaki and the traitor Sora." Rudbornn said as he drew his Zanpakutō and used Sonido to appear in front of Ichigo and jabbed his sword at him. Ichigo blocked it his sword but getting pushed back.

"Firaza!" Sora launched a large fireball at Rudbornn, however a used Sonido to avoid the attack and appeared behind Sora. He made to stab him, but Sora blocked it with his Keyblade. "Who are you?"

"I am Rudbornn, the captain of the Exequias. And I am here to claim your lives." Sora narrowed his eyes at the Arrancar and pushed him back. "Your lives now belong to me. You two will go no further."

"Sorry pal, but we don't have time to waste on some horny freak, ok." Ichigo said.

"Get out of our way." Sora yelled. "We're gonna rescue our friends and you won't stop us."

"Unfortunately, none of you will be alive much longer." Rudbornnn said as he commanded his soldiers to surround Ichigo and Sora. The two started to slash the soldiers one at a time, trying to lessen their numbers. However, they realized that the more soldiers they defeated, the more they would increase in number.

"Damn it!" Ichigo said. "How many of them are there?"

"We don't have time for this." Sora said, then looked to Ichigo. "Ichigo stand back, I'm gonna try taking these guys out with an attack."

Before the Substitute Soul Reaper could ask, out of nowhere, a number of the Exequias were taken out by one swing from a Zanpakutō that Ichigo instantly recognized. He looked down and saw that it was Renji, now completely healed.

"Ha, Ha, Ha, want some more?!" Renji said before taking down more of Exequias. Some that survived began closing in on Renji, until…

" _ **Shotlock: Bubble Blaster!"**_ Suddenly, the Exequias were struck hard by a volley of bubbles that dealt damage to them. Sora saw that it was Aqua, who lowered her Keyblade, frowning at Renji.

"You shouldn't let your guard down Renji." Aqua scolded. "You never know what the enemy might do."

"Yeah I know." Renji shot back before taking out more Exequias.

"It's Renji!" Ichigo said surprised. "But who's that woman?"

"Aqua!" Sora cheered. Said blue-haired woman looked up and smiled. Then several screams were heard behind her. She turned and saw several Exequias covered in strange yellow fluid, which caused them to slip uncontrollably.

"Oh yeah, feel the power of my _Infinite Slick._ Pesche gloated. "Now Dondochakka!"

"Got it!" Dondochakka jumped high above the Exequias. " _Dondochakka Press Attack!"_ He dealt a heavy body slam on his opponents, causing them to scream as they were crushed.

"Pesche! Dondochakka!" Sora said happily, while Ichigo was confused that they were still here, but smirked, nonetheless.

"Now, Yasutora!" Sora and Ichigo turned around and saw Chad and Gantenbainne charging towards the wall. Chad's right arm was covered by a strange black armor with magenta lining and pointed shoulder extension.

" _El Directo!_ " The end of Chad's shoulder opened up and began charging up spiritual energy. Gantenbainne reared his left fist back while Chad did the same with his right fist and together, punched part of the wall, destroying it and some of the Exequias along with it, revealing an entrance into the tower.

"Hey Chad!" Ichigo said, happy to see him, though he didn't know the other guy with him. However, Sora smiled at the sight of the Arrancar. "Gantenbainne! It's you!" Sora cheered.

Gantenbainne gave Sora a smirk while Ichigo got a thumbs up from Chad as a response. Then, several Exequias regained themselves and began diving down towards the two, until…

" _ **Shotlock: Flame Salvo!"**_ They were all struck by waves of small fireballs. The two turned to see Lea, having waved his Keyblade.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Lea smirked then saw several Exequias running towards him. "Alright you two. Let them have it."

"Got it!" Roxas said as he dashed forward and rapidly swung his Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades, unleashing a whirlwind of light and darkness.

" _Vortex!"_ Xion closed the distanced and delivered a powerful spinning attack on the remaining Exequias.

"Who are they!?" Ichigo asked but Sora smiled at the three. "Roxas! Xion! Lea!"

The trio smiled at the sight of Sora, relieved to have finally found after so long. However, more Exequias prevented them from having a reunion. Rudbornn looked down and saw many of his soldiers laying down, defeated. "You fools, letting a minor obstacle ruin our mission." He berated them. Then he looked up at Sora and Ichigo preparing to escape. He called five conscious Exequias, all used Sonido to appear behind them.

" _Tsugi No Mai…_ " Another familiar voice said. " _Hakuren!_ " Rudbornn watched as his entire right arm and sword were frozen in a pillar of ice.

"Dark Firaga!" The remaining five were blasted by a volley of dark fireballs. Ichigo and Sora followed the direction of the attacks and saw Riku and Rukia standing together.

"Rukia!" "Riku!" Ichigo and Sora said respectively, happy to see their best friends.

"Idiot!" Rukia scolded the Substitute Soul Reaper. "Save the heartwarming reunion for later!"

"She's right! Kairi and that other girl are in danger." Riku sternly said to Sora. "You two need to get going, now!"

The two nodded in understanding. "We're on it." Ichigo said as he and Sora went into the opening through the wall Chad and Gantenbainne made, entering into the tower to rescue their friends.

"So that's Sora, the one I've heard about." Rukia said, smiling. "He's a lot like Ichigo. They both need babysitters."

"Yeah, what will they do without us." Riku said with a small smile, relieved to see his best friend now safe.

Then Rudbornn freed his arm from the ice pillar Rukia made, turning towards the two. "You honestly thought you could best me with those feeble powers?" Rukia and Riku looked at Rudbornn with serious looks of their faces.

"You are nothing more than a small nuisance." Rudbornn declared as the pillar crumbled away. The two summoned their weapons and assumed their fighting stance.

"Sora and Ichigo can handle the rest." Riku said, "In the meantime, let's not give these guys the chance to get anywhere else."

"Right. We can help them when everything is taken care of." Rukia replied, looking at their opponent, tension in the air.

* * *

"Ridiculous." Ulquiorra said to Orihime and Kairi's declaration. "No matter what you two think, the fate of you and your friends have already been decided. Even if they do manage to find you two, it will not change the fact that you are both going die. There's no turning back now. Sharing your feeling with someone when you're on the verge of death brings some sort of comfort to you humans. It's an instinct to help minimized your fear and sorrow. But in reality, it is impossible to know other's emotions. Empathy is simply a meaningless human delusion."

Orihime looked down and thought back when she said her final goodbye to Ichigo, before leaving to Hueco Mundo. "That may be true." She said. "It might be impossible to feel exactly what someone else is feeling. But when people truly care about each other, their hearts grows so close that you can't tell the difference between them."

"It's based on the strong bonds they share." Kairi added, remembering her moment with Sora before the Second Keyblade War. "Through every ordeal we've faced, whether it was filled with sadness or joy, our hearts have reached out to those we feel connected to. We've become a part of their hearts like they have become a part of ours. Through that connection, people can become of one heart."

Ulquiorra remained silent for moment, having heard the two girl's declarations. "Your hearts you say." He started walking up to Orihime and Kairi. "You humans always toss around that word so casually. As if it's something you can hold in the palm of your hand. But my eyes can see everything. Nothing exists that I can't see. So if I can't it, it's not real. That is what I believe."

Ulquiorra stopped walking when he was near the two girls, his arm inches away from them. "Tell me, what is a heart?" Ulquiorra raised his arm until his hand almost touched Orihime's chest. "If I tore a hole through your chest, would I see it?" Then he raised his hand to Kairi's forehand. "If I split open your skull, would it be there?" Orihime widen her eyes in fear, Kairi however looked at the Espada in anger.

"Leave her alone!" Kairi shouted, summoning her Destiny's Embrace Keyblade, getting between Ulquiorra and Orihime. The Fourth Espada wasn't intimated by Kairi, but his eyes widen when he felt a sudden rise of spiritual pressure of two people. He looked over his shoulder and saw the floor exploding, creating a huge hole as Ichigo appeared, Sora following close by.

They landed on the floor a few feet away from Ulquiorra, the three staring each other down, waiting for the one who would make the first move.

"It's Ichigo and Sora." Orihime whispered as Kairi put her Keyblade away.

Sora looked at Orihime and Kairi, glad to see that they're still safe, while Ichigo turned his attention to the Fourth Espada. "Stay away from them." He ordered Ulquiorra.

"I was just about to." Ulquiorra said. Then he looked over at Sora, deciding to ask something very interesting. "How were you able to betray us?"

Sora blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"You have been a part of Lord Aizen's army for more than a month." Ulquiorra said. "You have lived among us, fought alongside us, and yet you chose to betray all of us."

"I betrayed you because Aizen was planning on killing thousands of innocent people." Sora shot back at Ulquiorra, who remained stoic. "Did you really think I would help you guys do something like that?"

"No," He replied. "I have realized that your beliefs have been burned into your very core. Regardless, my responsibilities are clear; to protect Las Noches until Lord Aizen returns. I haven't received orders to take the lives of these women." Ulquiorra shifted his gaze to the two that he mentioned. "Until those orders come, I will allow them to live."

Then, Ulquiorra turned his sights back to Ichigo and Sora, grabbing the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "However, you two are a different matter. Killing the both of you will absolutely be within my duties of protecting Las Noches." Ulquiorra draws his sword, making Orihime step back. "You both shall die by my sword."

While Sora remained on guard, Ichigo smirked at Ulquiorra's actions. "What a surprise." He said. "It's funny. I never figured you'll be the first to draw your sword. On the way here, I was thinking that you wouldn't take me seriously to draw right away. So tell me, is it reasonable enough to say you consider me an opponent that's equal to you?"

"You might say that." Ulquiorra merely replied. "I consider you an enemy worth destroying. Same for Sora."

"That's good enough." Ichigo scoffed. And then, the Subsitute Soul Reaper and Fourth Espada rushed towards each other and clash swords, letting their spirit energies reach their highest point. Sora was relatively undaunted by the burst of power, but Kairi and Orihime struggled to stay on their feet.

"Kairi, get behind me!" Orihime said, the red-haired girl complied as Orihime used her Shun Shun Rikka to create a shield in front of them. She looked at the battle as a huge gust of wind was blown towards her. "Ichigo."

Kairi also looked on with a similar expression. "Sora, please be careful."

* * *

Outside of the fifth tower, a Hollow burst out of the sand, only for Renji to kill it easily as he stretched Zabimaru and drove the Hollows to the ground. Aqua came and bifurcated two more Hollows with a single swing. Chad punched the Hollow in front him with his right arm, causing it to crumble to pieces. Gantenbainne rapidly punched another Hollow in the abdomen until the upper body exploded. Roxas and Xion charged and slashed all the Hollows in their way while Lea launch a Firaza spell to incinerate them. After the Hollows were defeated, more of them began to pop out of the sand.

"Damn!" Renji cursed at their misfortune. "New ones just keep showing up."

"Yeah." Chad said in agreement.

"That just means more fun for us." Lea smirked.

Aqua frowned at his comment. "Lea, will you take this seriously. There is nothing fun about this."

"Hey, you guys got to hog all the action while I was playing bodyguard for these two." Lea gestured to Chad and Gantenbainne. "This just helps me relieve my boredom."

"Whatever you say." Roxas smirked while Xion giggled. However, Gantenbainne jumped and punched another Hollow, shattering its skull.

"Don't just stand around. We have to take care of them first!" Gantenbainne shot back as everyone charged towards the Hollows, with Renji stretching out Zabimaru, defeating them easily. Then he noticed five Hollows running towards him. Before he could kill them, he noticed a large shadow hovering over him. Renji looked up at the sky and saw Bawabawa falling towards them. Renji panicked and quickly dodged as Bawabawa landed, crushing the remaining Hollows.

"Ah yeah! Pesche and Dondochakka save the day again!" Pesche cheered triumphantly from on top Bawabawa with Dondochakka next to his side.

Renji popped out the sand and glared at the two dimwitted Arrancar. "Will you two idiots watch what you're doing?!" Renji scolded.

"C'mon Renji, that's no way to thank us for saving your life." Dondochakka said. "They were gonna attack from the rear, so we did what we had to do to keep yah alive. Know what I mean?"

"Next time, warn me when you two are going to get involved!" Renji barked. "That way, I don't get caught in the middle of all your help!"

Meanwhile, Aqua, Roxas, Chad, and Gantenbainne narrowed their eyes, trying to focus on the surroundings.

"Is there a problem going on?" Lea asked, confused. Then out of nowhere, Chad fired his El Directo attack, causing Lea to move out of the way as the attack hit the Hollow coming toward them, killing it while burying Lea in the sand.

"Hey buddy, give me a warning next time!" Lea barked, popping out of the sand.

"Sorry." Chad merely said.

"You should learn to be more perceptive of your surroundings." Xion stated. Then more Hollows appeared out the sand, surrounding the team.

Everyone regrouped once more, getting ready to fight. "Guess things won't be as simple as we thought." Roxas stated.

"We'll just have to do what we can." Aqua said.

"That's all we can do." Gantenbainne agreed, then looked over at Chad. "Ready Yasutora." Chad merely nodded in agreement, causing the Arrancar to let out a chuckle. "The strong silent type, right? I like that."

"Then let's do this thing!" Pesche yelled as they all charged at the Hollows once more.

Elsewhere, on the top of the wall near the entrance of the fifth tower, Riku and Rukia were staring at Rudbornn. Behind the two were several Exequias that they managed to easily defeat.

"Well, it looks like all of your subordinates have fallen." Rukia said to the leader of the Exequias.

"You've already lost. Might as well surround now that you have no back up." Riku said.

Rudbornn then stuck his hand out with his Zanpakutō pointed to the side. " _Grow! Arbol!_ " Then, the right side of his body became wrapped in branches reaching down to his waist, where they split off into roots that flare out on either of his sides. Four lightning bolt shaped branches grew out of the upper part of his right arm, with skulls similar to those worn by his subordinates hanging off of each one. He also carried a lightning bolt shaped stick or branch.

"I can see that this small achievement has brought you two satisfaction." Rudbornn said with contempt. "But soon you will learn that defeating my men does not ensure victory against me."

Suddenly, Rukia's eyes widen as she heard a crash coming from inside the tower. "Ichigo…"

"Sora!" Riku yelled, hearing the crash as well.

* * *

"Hold on Ichigo!" Sora said as he charged towards the battle, rearing his Keyblade back. Ulquiorra and Ichigo turned to see Sora charging forward.

" _ **Shotlock Max: Ragnarok!"**_ Sora fried a salvo of energy beams at the Fourth Espada. Immediately, Ulquiorra used Sonido to dodge the attack and appeared behind to attack Sora. However, that gave Ichigo the opening to appear before him and bring his sword down to attack, though the Espada blocked it in time.

"Sora!" Ichigo yelled. "Leave him to me! Protect Orihime and Kairi!"

The Keyblade Wielder shook his head. "Sorry Ichigo, but we need to work together to beat him." Wasting no time, Sora appeared before the Espada and swung his Keyblade repetitively to attack. Ulquiorra simply blocked all those swords strikes, then finished with firing Cero at Sora. He casted a reflect barrier to absorb it, however, it proved too much and shattered that barrier. Fortunately, Sora rolled away to dodge the Cero, which dealt a powerful explosion on the wall.

"That was close!" Sora shouted as Ulquiorra appeared and swung his sword at him. Sora jumped back a few feet to avoid the blade, only for Ulquiorra to appear in front of him and went to pierce his head. Sora tilted his head away to avoid a fatal blow, but the blade managed to cut Sora's cheek.

With Ulquiorra focused on Sora, Ichigo dashed over and swung Tensa Zangetsu towards Ulquiorra's head, but the Espada blocked easily. Then, he swung his blade to slice Ichigo's head off, but the Substitute Soul Reaper ducked in time. Ichigo attempted to slash Ulquiorra, but he blocked his with blade, the clash releasing a small shockwave. Ichigo struggled to overpower Ulquiorra, but the Espada possessed impressive strength despite his slender build.

However, Sora used Airstep to appear before Ulquiorra, rearing his Keyblade back. "Zantetsuken!" Sora rushed to the Espada at blinding speed to attack the him. Ulquiorra easily tilted his head to dodge the attack, much to Sora's shock.

" _He dodged the Zantetsuken!_ " Sora inwardly exclaimed, snapping out when he barely dodged a high kick form Ulquiorra. Ichigo took the chance to slash him once more, but the Fourth Espada jumped high to avoid it. Seeing Ulquiorra in the air, Ichigo decided to unleash his signature technique.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo yelled, unleashing his crescent moon-shaped slash attack, only for Ulquiorra to slash it in half with his one swing from his Zanpakutō. Ichigo remained shocked, which allowed Ulquiorra to use Sonido to appear behind him, thrusting his blade to stab him. However, Sora used Airstep to block the blade with his Keyblade. Seeing the chance, Sora and Ichigo went and attack Ulquiorra with a barrage of sword strikes, however, the Espada impressively blocked and parred all those attacks.

As Ulquiorra locked their blades in, he used his free hand to point his index finger, charging another Cero. Ichigo's eyes widened when he recognized the attack, and reflexively knocked Sora back. Just in time as the Fourth Espada fired his Cero, blasting a hole through the wall.

* * *

Outside, Chad looked behind his shoulder and saw the smoke coming out of the tower where Ichigo and Sora were. "Ichigo." Chad said.

"Oh no! I don't like the feeling of this." Xion said in a worried tone. However, a Hollow popped out of the sand, surprising the two. Suddenly, Renji's Zanpakutō stretched out and struck the Hollow, killing it. the force also knocked them back, where Aqua caught the two.

"Hey, are you two alright?!" Renji shouted.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Chad said as Aqua sat them down.

"Thanks for the save." Xion said.

"You both have to start paying more attention to the battle." Aqua lightly scolded.

"Got it." Chad said as he got back up and ran towards the Hollows. Xion stared at the tower briefly before shaking her head to snap herself out. Now wasn't the time to worry. Instead she had to focus on her own battle.

"Oh wow, this is getting rough." Lea said as five giant Adjuchas rose from the sands. "If things go like this, we might not have any energy left for the big battle." Roxas slashed another Hollow away before realizing that Lea was right. If they wasted more energy, then they would be too worn out. If only they had more help.

"Quake!" A familiar voice shouted, stopping them in their tracks. Suddenly, two Adjuchas were knocked away by a small earthquake that kicked up pillars of rocks.

" _Tornado!_ " Suddenly, the remaining three were caught in a large whirlwind that sucked them up and shredded them with the air blades.

"What was that?!" Gantenbainne shouted surprised. Aqua however, smiled in relief. As the five Adjuchas disintegrated, Terra and Ven smirked as they looked at their accomplished work.

"We still make a great team." Ven cheerfully said. Terra nodded in agreement. "I guess we do."

"Who are these guys?" Renji answered looking the two arrivals.

"Terra! Ven!" They looked at Aqua, who rushed over to them, hugging them both.

"They must be the other Keyblade Wielders Kisuke told us about." Chad deduced.

"The most important thing is they're on our side." Roxas assured the lieutenant. Suddenly, a dozen Hollows rose from the ground and looked at the group, dead set on killing them.

"When do they end!" Lea said, exasperated. However, in a flash, all twelve of them were sliced into many pieces. Everyone looked shocked to see the person who did it. It was a female Arrancar with teal hair and green rags who, to Terra and Ven's knowledge, was Nel.

"Who is she?" Xion asked.

"I don't know." Roxas replied. Chad and Renji looked at her with confusion.

"Hey Chad, does she look…familiar to you." Renji asked.

"Now that you mention it…she does." Chad confirmed. Nel's eyes landed on Renji and Chad and smiled widely at the sight of them.

"Chad! Renji!" Nel cheered. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright! I'm so glad you're okay!"

This only confused the two even more. "Who…are you?" The lieutenant slowly asked. Nel giggled as she understood their confusion. "Don't worry. I'm not a stranger. It's me…Nel."

The two closely observed her and sure enough, the image of the child Arrancar they met popped into their minds, which highly resembled this woman before them. Slowly, they realized this woman was in fact…

"WHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Renji screamed with a shocked expression. While Chad's expression wasn't as big, he was just as surprised as Renji.

Gantenbainne also saw Nel and couldn't believe the sight. "I don't believe it. The Third Espada has…"

Aqua just observed the spectacle, not sure what was going on. "I suppose you two made a new friend?"

Terra just rubbed the back of his head. "More like Sora did." Ven just laughed at the Human and lieutenant's expressions.

Nel also laughed before a voice called to her. "Master Nel!" She turned to see Pesche and Dondochakka, who tackled her into a hug.

"Master Nel! You've returned!" Pesche cried with joy.

"Oh Master, we've missed you so much. Know what I mean?" Dondochakka cried with tears pouring out.

"Pesche! Dondochakka! I'm glad you're both safe." Nel laughed as she hugged the two. Then, when the reunion was over, the two then bowed as Nel stood up, smiling at the two. "I remember everything. And I just want to thank you both for taking care of me."

"It was an honor Master Nel!" They both said in serious tones. "We're so happy you returned."

"Will someone explain to me what is going on!?" Renji asked, completely confused. Sensing more Hollows approaching, Aqua gathered everyone together.

"There will be times for questions later." Aqua said. "Right now, we need to hold the Hollows back."

Terra nodded. "That's right. We can't let them get any further than this point. We must be ready."

"Then let's show them who's boss." Ven said.

Lea walked over to the others. "I hear ya. Think you two can keep up?" He looked to Roxas and Xion.

"Liked we'd run away." "You bet!" Xion and Roxas said respectively.

"I'll also do my part and help you guys out!" Gantenbainne declared. "I owe it to Sora after all."

Chad nodded and summoned his armor once more. "We'll talk more. After this."

Renji sighed. "Fine. But I expect a full explanation when this is done."

Nel nodded, then turned to her Fracciónes. "Pesche, Dondochakka, will you fight by my side once more."

Both of them nodded without hesitation. "Of course we will." Dondochakka said.

"We'll gladly follow you into battle Master Nel!" Pesche declared. "It's time we show them the power of the Arsoke Alliance."

Everyone then gave the Arrancar a quizzed looked. "Arsoke Alliance?" Renji repeated.

"Yeah, it's a cool name a thought of for our team." Pesche explained. "I took the first two letters of **Ar** rancar, **So** ul Reaper, and **Ke** yblade Wielder and made it into our name. The Arsoke Alliance: Three groups fighting as one!"

"But I'm human." Chad said. "And I don't use a Keyblade."

"But you still fight with the Soul Reapers." Lea pointed. "And who knows, that name just might catch on!"

Seeing the Hollows about to close in, Terra stepped up. "We'll worry about names later. Let's take care of this first." With the team set, they all charged into battle, ready to stop whatever came their way.

* * *

"Ichigo!" Sora cried, Orihime and Kairi also sharing worried expressions. Ulquiorra remained unfazed for a moment, seeing an image appear through the smoke. "Oh, you withstood my Cero, without putting on your mask." He commented, seeing Ichigo slowly rise up, panting heavily as he felt a little fatigue from the attack. "You've grown stronger. Is it because defeated Grimmjow? Or is it because…of your friends who continue to fight…below this tower?" Ichigo scoffed at his remark. "Or is it…all for this girl?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes when he referenced Orihime.

Orihime turned to Orihime. "That girl…is already one of us. Even if you and Sora rescue her from here, it won't change that fact." Ichigo growled as he remembered what Grimmjow said to him during their battle. "You can't save her. It's pointless." Ulquiorra concluded.

"That's not a decision for you to make." Ichigo retorted.

"It isn't. Lord Aizen will be the one to decide that." Ulquiorra stated.

"Just give it up already!" Sora shouted. "I didn't join your side, and neither will she!" Sora charged and used Sonic Blade to strike Ulquiorra from all over. The Espada simply evaded the attack and knocked Sora into a pillar. Sora regained his balance as Ulquiorra appeared and made to slash Sora, the Keybearer parring all his attacks, unleashing Ripple Drive and knocked him away with the blast. Ulquiorra regained his footing and walked as if no effort was dealt to him. Ichigo then dropped from above but the Espada used Sonido and kicked him from behind, slamming him to a pillar. Ulquiorra made to stab him but Ichigo quickly tilted his head, moving away as the pillar was destroyed by Ulquiorra's attack.

Ichigo roared as he swung his sword but Ulquiorra blocked his blade with his own, swing to sever Ichigo's head but he ducked in time. The teen made to slash Ulquiorra but the Espada dodged, Ichigo destroying a pillar in the process. "Goodbye." Ulquiorra said and, with fast movement, rapidly jabbed his sword to pierce him multiple times. With his quick reflexes, Ichigo stepped back as he dodged all of Ulquiorra's sword strikes. The Substitute Soul Reaper was backed into another pillar but dodged as the pillar was sliced in half.

"Strike Raid!" Ulquiorra raised his sword and the Keyblade as it spun rapidly against his sword. He deflected it away, but Sora charged towards the Espada, summoning it once more. "Thundaza!" Sora released a barrage of lightning, however, Ulquiorra used Sonido to dodge all the lightning bolts, and appeared behind the Keyblade Wielder swiftly. As Ulquiorra was about to strike, Sora turned around and shouted "Ars Arcanum!" Sora launched a flurry of attacks that Ulquiorra dodged swiftly. At the last strike, he surprised Sora by catching the Keyblade, a small explosion resulting from the attacks power. Kairi and Orihime widen their eyes, seeing the struggle Sora and Ichigo were facing.

"Do you understand now?" Ulquiorra asked as he let go of the Keyblade, Sora jumping back. As he did, Ulquiorra thought back to Sora's previous statement, noticing the validity in it. Sora had been in Hueco Mundo much longer than Orihime Inoue, and yet he had turned against them. And seeing the influence he has had on others, who's to say they wouldn't follow in his steps. Regardless, if anyone did, he'd kill them all. "You are a curious one, I'll admit. However, it's pointless to even continue to fight a losing battle."

"So what if it's pointless." Sora spat back. "Just because you're stronger, doesn't mean I'm gonna stop fighting back. If I have to get through you or Aizen, I'll fight with everything I have until my friends are all safe."

"Very well then…" Ulquiorra said, narrowing his eyes at Sora. "You shall die." Using Sonido, Ulquiorra appeared in front of Sora, however he dodged and joined Ichigo as they saw Ulquiorra following them.

" _I can do this._ " Ichigo thought as he and Sora dodged another one of Ulquiorra's attack. Compared to their previous encounter, Ichigo began realizing that he was adapting to Ulquiorra's attacks. " _I can see all of his moves and still react in time. His fighting style isn't going to change just because his sword is strong. He just got a much longer reach. I need to watch closely. Watch closely._ "

Sora dodged another round of jabs from Ulquiorra's sword. As Ulquiorra tried to attack again, Ichigo appeared and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Ulquiorra's eyes widened at what happened while Sora was impressed. Then Ichigo swung and slashed the Espada, causing him to skid back a few feet before stopping himself. While he looked unaffected, the top part of his jacket soon ripped opened, showing a small cut his chest, below his hollow hole and revealed a '4' marked on his left pectoral. This symbolized his rank as the Fourth Espada.

"I barely nicked you." Ichigo said confidently. "That hierro of yours sure is tough. Yet, it looks as if I'm reading your movement better than I ever could before."

"Really?" Ulquiorra said, looking at the Substitute Soul Reaper.

"The last time that we battled together, I couldn't read any of your moves at all." Ichigo recalled. "I had to guess your attacks, defense, and speed. I couldn't read what was coming at me or from where. I felt like I was fighting against an emotionless statue or a machine." A smirk was formed on Ichigo's face. "So why am I able to read your move this time? Is it because I'm becoming more Hollow like you? Actually, I think it's because you've become more human."

Ulquiorra's eyes widen from Ichigo's statement and then proceed to stab his sword to the floor, splitting it apart with his strength. Sora, Ichigo, Orihime, and Kairi were shocked at the display of his raw power. The Fourth Espada glared at Ichigo and said, "Did you say that I've become more human?" Sora and Ichigo prepared themselves for Ulquiorra's next move. "I see. You must feel very proud just being able to keep up at this level. Let's see how long it will last both of you."

Then, Ulquiorra raised his spiritual pressure to its highest point. The two saw Ulquiorra appeared in front of them and swung his sword down, causing an explosion from the collision. Sora and Ichigo jumped out of the smoke and landed to safety, only for the Espada appeared behind them. Ichigo sensed Ulquiorra behind him. " _Not a chance._ " He swung his sword to block the Espada, but Ulquiorra disappeared and reappeared behind him in an instant.

However, Sora intercepted the attack and blocked his blade. "Blizzaza!" He shot a projectile of ice that incased Ulquiorra from within. Unfortunately, the Espada broke free after a few seconds by firing a Cero, causing the two to dodge quickly. Sora got back to his feet as Ulquiorra appeared in front of him and kicked him. Sora raised his Keyblade to block it but the force from it sent him flying into a wall next to Ichigo.

"Do you get it now?" Ulquiorra asked as Sora tried to get back to his feet. "If you continue this pointless effort, you'll die."

"I don't care." Sora said. "I'm not going to stop fighting until I save my friends. Then, I'm going to Karakura Town to beat Aizen." Ichigo looked at Sora with sympathy, as he too is fighting for that same reason.

Ichigo smirked and said, "That's what I also came here for. I'm sure the other captains can take care of themselves. But I won't be satisfied until I find Aizen and make to pay him back for everything he's done." He then fiercely glared at Ulquiorra. "You hear that. You're not gonna stop us that easily. We'll keep fighting till our last breath."

Ulquiorra said nothing, then disappeared from Ichigo's view and appeared behind both of them. The duo saw Ulquiorra about to strike, only for his blade to be stopped as it hit an orange barrier, shielding Ichigo and Sora. A crack was made on the shield and it shattered into pieces. The three combatants looked and saw that Orihime was the one who protected the two.

"Nice one Orihime." Sora smiled, complimenting her. Orihime returned the smile but that fell when Ulquiorra spoke.

"What do you think you're doing girl?" Ulquiorra asked in a serious tone. Orihime was silent and Kairi glared at the Espada. "Why would you even bother to save them now?"

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked scared. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Ichigo is your friend, is he?" Ulquiorra questioned. "And you have also forged a friendship with Sora. Yet, you didn't protect them from my first attack. Why did you hesitate?"

"You don't understand, I…" Orihime said but stopped when Ulquiorra looked at her.

"You actually don't know. Then let me enlighten you." Ulquiorra turned towards Orihime and started walking to her. Kairi stepped in front of her, Keyblade ready for attack. "The truth is…"

Sora finally had enough and shot another ice spell to freeze him in his tracks. "I've had enough out of you!" Sora told Ulquiorra. The Espada looked over his shoulder and saw Ichigo also glaring at him. "He's right. You sure do like the sound of your own voice. Quit picking apart every little thing she does and says. Nothing of what you're saying matters alright."

Then, Ichigo looked at Orihime. "Orihime, thanks for stepping in. You should find cover. It's going to get too dangerous for you in here."

Orihime looked at Ichigo in worry and said, "Just be careful." She turned around and run somewhere to take cover.

"Hey Kairi!" Sora called, getting her attention. "Stay with Orihime, make sure nothing bad happens to her."

Kairi nodded. "I'll protect her. You and Ichigo focus on your own battle." She then ran to follow Orihime.

Ichigo and Sora turned their attention back to Ulquiorra, who shattered the ice by lifting his foot. "You know it's funny." Ichigo said. "I didn't peg you to be much of a talker. But you're a regular chatterbox, aren't you?" Then black aura was surrounding Ichigo's blade.

"A Getsuga?" Ulquiorra assumed. "You still don't get it, do you? That won't have any effect on me." However, Ulquiorra's eyes widen when he saw Ichigo jumping towards him, their swords colliding with each other. Then, with all his power, Ichigo began pushing Ulquiorra back several feet.

"Wow!" Sora said. "Ichigo's actually pushing him back." He said, saying his sword having powered up. Ulquiorra then pushed him to the side, looking at Ichigo's Zanpakutō and noticed something was different.

" _He wrapped the Getsuga around his blade instead of discharging it so that his sword strike has the strength of the Getsuga._ " Ulquiorra thought. Ichigo slashed towards the Espada but Ulquiorra disappeared.

"Not good enough." Ulquiorra said, appearing behind Ichigo, only for Sora to Airstep and, following Ichigo's example, coated his Keyblade with fire, striking the Espada while simultaneously releasing a torrent of flames, engulfing him. Sora smirked until he saw Ulquiorra walking out of the fire, the sleeves of his coat slightly scorched. "I see. Like Ichigo Kurosaki, you covered your own Keyblade with your magic to increase your attack power. While impressive, it still won't be enough."

Ichigo appeared and released some energy from his blade at Ulquiorra, but the Espada managed to stop it with his own sword, to his shock. "I suppose you feel that you're awfully clever, yet you've learned nothing. You forgot that even when you had your mask on, you weren't able to defeat me with Getsuga. Wield it how you may, it won't matter. Using the Getsuga without a mask is useless." Ulquiorra pushed Ichigo back with ease.

Ulquiorra then looked up and saw Sora twirling his Keyblade, generating lighting from it. He flew down to stab him, but he blocked the attack, releasing a pillar of lightning that tore through the floor and ceiling. However, Ulquiorra was unfazed by the intense lightning that struck him.

"The same would be said to you as well." Ulquiorra said to Sora. "Even though the power of your Keyblade helped you when facing Nnoitra or the Soul Reaper reinforcements, it still isn't enough." Ulquiorra grabbed Sora's arm and threw him to the ground.

Orihime and Kairi looked at the battle as it was going back and forth, with no one gaining any sort of advantage. As the two look on, Kairi noticed Orihime's worried expression. Kairi place a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at the redhead.

"Your nervous right." Kairi said, then smiled. "Don't worry. I know how strong Sora is. When he fight for something with all his heart, he becomes stronger than he already is. Ichigo looks like the same kind of person. With those two fighting together, they're unstoppable."

Orihime softly smiled but looked down, still consumed with concern for her friends. "I…don't know. I know they're both strong, but still…" She gulped as she said. "I just can't help but feel worried. I feel…something bad is about to happen."

"Then you start by believing in them." Kairi advised, causing Orihime to look at her. "If there is one thing Sora thought me is that if you believe in something it comes true. And if you can smile through the darkest times, then you'll be able to face your fears."

Orihime sure was surprised by that, then looked at Sora and Ichigo charging ahead, the determined look in their eyes. She recalled Sora saying something about cheering on people to let them hear you voice. Maybe, if she believed in them, then everything will turn out okay. Slowly, Orihime turned to Kairi, giving her a genuine smile.

"Thank you." She said. "You're right. If I keep on believing, then I'm sure Ichigo and Sora can make it through." Kairi smiled in relief, glad she could help. However she turned around saw nothing but a red light that started to glow brighter. Reacting quickly, Kairi pushed Orihime away, just in time to see a Cero fly by as they fell, catching Sora's attention.

"Kairi! Orihime!" Sora shouted as he ran towards the girls, but Ulquiorra appeared and kicked him back a few feet.

As Kairi and Orihime rolled across the floor, the latter felt a hand grab her arms, forcing them behind her back, and a hand covering her mouth. She looked up and saw Loly with a wicked smile on her face.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Loly said menacingly. Kairi lifted her head and saw the female Arrancar. "Who are you!"

* * *

The Arsoke Alliance continued to defeat Hollow after Hollow. Some were scattered across the field as they gradually reduced the Hollow's numbers as time passed by. However, Chad felt a strange presence and looked up at the fifth tower he saw before. "Orihime?" He said.

Renji looked and saw Chad distracted, "Hey, what's the matter with you? There may not be many of them left but we're still in the middle of a battle."

Xion looked at him, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"It's Orihime." Chad replied. Xion recalled that was the name of the friend they came to rescue. "I think…she might be in trouble."

"That does sound worrying." Ven said. "But don't worry, Sora will take care of her. Same with Ichigo."

"I don't know." Chad retorted. "They're both up against an immense amount of spiritual pressure."

The group looked at one of the remaining Hollows attacking them. Gantenbainne jumped in and smashed one face in while Nel bifurcated another one. Five Hollows then remained.

"That's another one down." Gantenbainne said. Nel looked at the four. "You four should hurry and deal with the Hollows. Then, we can help Sora and Ichigo."

At that moment, a volley of arrows appeared, hitting and killing every remaining Hollow with ease. They looked at where the arrows came from and saw Uryū, wielding a blue cross, spider web shaped bow. It was his weapon, " _Ginrei Kojaku!_ "

"Sorry it took me so long." Uryū said. "Mayuri's treatments took a little longer than expected."

Gantenbainne looked puzzled. "Who is he?"

Renji smirked as Uryū appeared before them. "Well, get a load at you. Looks like you made a complete recovery." He praised.

Xion and Ven looked a little confused. But saw that he was friends with Renji and Chad, making him an ally. Nel beamed as she saw the Quincy arriving. "Uryū, I'm so glad you're alright. I was worried when you didn't make it here."

Uryū turned and looked confused at the older woman. "Um…Am I supposed to know you Ms.…"

"It's Nel, that kid Arrancar." Renji said. "And no this isn't a joke. That's how Nel really looks like." Uryū remained silent, then when his mind finally processed it…

"WHHHHHHHAAAATTTTT!" He shouted, stupefied at this revelation. He stepped back as he pointed at Nel. "Y-you're…you're really Nel!?"

Nel just giggled. "Of course. Who else would I be?"

"It was surprising to us as well." Chad said, before getting back on the subject. "Uryū, we got to get moving." Chad said.

"Yeah, I figure as much." Uryū said, regaining his composure as they looked at the towers. Xion however, saw the others still fighting out there.

"Everyone else is still fighting." She pointed out. "We need to back them up."

Uryū nodded. "Then the rest of you should go. I'll go help Ichigo."

"Can you handle it?" Ven asked. Uryū nodded. "I may not like it, but I usually tend to get Ichigo out of trouble. This is no different."

"Then we'll leave it to you." Renji said as everyone else went off, Uryū running towards the entrance. Nel stopped as she stared at the towers once more, wondering what Ichigo and Sora were doing up there.

"Master Nelliel, we need to go!" Nel heard Gantenbainne say. She shook her head as she ran to catch up with the others. Right now, Sora and Ichigo would have to wait.

* * *

Orihime looked at Loly and Melony in fear as Kairi slowly got back to her feet. Meanwhile, Loly smirked and said, "Hey there sweetheart, remember me? Huh, I guess not." Orihime remembered when the two Arrancars came to her room to bully her before. "Aw, that's alright. I mean I can't say I'm surprised really. I'm so ordinary. Why would the little freak of nature trouble her mind with the likes of me?"

"Leave her alone!" Kairi shouted, summoning her Keyblade. Loly looked the redhaired girl with contempt. She moved the hand covering Orihime's mouth to her eye. "Stay back!" She ordered. "Don't you even think about it, you hear me?! Any closer and I'll gouge her eyes out!"

Orihime looked fearfully while Kairi frowned. "That wouldn't be the smartest choice." She said as Loly saw Ichigo and Sora dashed towards them.

"Getsuga…" "Sonic…" Ichigo's and Sora's movements was stopped when their swords collided with Ulquiorra's, standing in front of Loly and Orihime. Ulquiorra pushed them both back with ease.

"Ulquiorra?" Loly said surprised.

"I don't want to get the wrong idea." Ulquiorra said, looking at the two Arrancars. "I wasn't acting on the desire to save you."

Ichigo swung his sword at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra blocked the attack without looking at Ichigo. "Out of the way!" Ichigo shouted.

Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

"He said, 'Move'!" Sora shouted as his Keyblade connected with Ulquiorra's blade, though he merely pushed the Keyblade Wielder back, the fight between the three continued.

"Ichigo! Sora!" Orihime shouted worried, while Kairi frowned.

Loly grinned evilly as she grabbed Orihime's arm, pulling her back. "Aw, I guess those knights in shining armor don't have what it takes."

"You still have me!" Kairi ran towards the two. Loly frowned as she looked over to at her accomplice, "Menoly, keep her away from me!"

Melony nodded, intercepting Kairi's Keyblade with her Zanpakutō. Both opponents locked on as Kairi asked, "Why are you attacking Orihime!? What do you two want!?" Menoly frowned, looking away with Kairi seeing sadness in them.

"You wouldn't understand." Menoly whispered. "Besides, I'm the least of your concerns." Kairi looked and saw Loly leering at Orihime. "Alright then, hurry and tear that tramp to pieces Melony, so that we can move on to the main course" Kairi continued to push Melony back but kept seeing the sadness in her eyes. While Kairi would have sympathized with her, now wasn't the time and Orihime's life was at risk.

"Sorry." Using Menoly's distraction, Kairi knocked her sword away. The Arrancar stumbled forward as Kairi hit her at the back of the head, knocking her down. Kairi looked back for a moment before glaring at Loly. "I'll say it once, let Orihime go!"

Loly glared daggers at her before looking at Menoly with disgust. "Menoly you idiot! Are you really going to let this human get the better of you?"

Menoly got to her knees and looked up at Kairi and Orihime, them looked away from them. "I'm sorry, but I just don't see a point to this fight."

"No point?" Loly questioned. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Think about it. This girl has the ability to heal any wound, remember?" Menoly argued, standing straight. "Plus, this other girl is a Keyblade Wielder like Sora. There's no telling what she can do. We'd just be wasting our time. Anyway, it's not like it'll just make us feel any less empty." Hurrying that caused Loly to let Orihime go and grab her by the collar.

"Oh so what, you're having a sudden change of heart because this simpering little idiot saved your life, is that it?" She jeered at her. "I bet you took that dive as an excuse to stay out of fighting, didn't you?"

Menoly quickly shook her head, not wanting to anger Loly. "No, of course not."

"You coward!" Loly pushed Melony away and looked over at Orihime and Kairi. "Forget it then, I'll handle them on my own." She looked at Orihime. "And I'll start with you first." She then grabbed Orihime by her hair and pulled her up. "Lord Aizen doesn't give a damn about you or your new best friend. You two are no use to him now. He said it himself." She let go of Orihime's hair and cupped her cheek. "I can do whatever I want with you without fear of Lord Aizen's wrath. You two are dead and you just don't know it yet."

"And once I'm finished with you, I'll reach inside your corpses and take back what was stolen from ME!" With a sadistic smile, Loly grabbed the top part of Orihime's sleeves and ripped them off, scratching Orihime's arm at the same time.

"I said leave her alone!" Kairi dashed towards the Arrancar. "Shut up!" Loly spun around to kick Kairi away but the redhaired girl caught her leg with her Keyblade. Kairi struggled to overpower her as Loly smirked, adding more strength to her leg.

"Orihime!" Ichigo shouted as he jumped back. "Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo fired another black energy wave at Ulquiorra, who blocked it with his Zanpakutō. However, Sora used this opening to run past the Fourth Espada. Unfortunately, he saw through the diversion and pointed his finger to the side where Sora was and fired his Cero, pushing Sora back.

Sora sat back up as he brushed off dust off his clothes. "Damn! Does nothing get past him!"

Ichigo charged at Ulquiorra and clashed swords with him again. "I said get out of the way!"

"If you want a new opponent, you have to kill me first." Ulquiorra said. "Finish me if you think you're capable."

"SHUT UP AND MOVE!" Ichigo bellowed, not having time for this.

Kairi swung her Keyblade again but Loly dodged it. She then fired a red Cero at her, though she blocked the attack with her Keyblade. However, Loly used that opening to punch Kairi hard in the stomach, causing her to scream as she crashed into Orihime. Orihime looked over Kairi and saw Loly slowly walked towards them.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Loly chuckled wickedly. "You put up a decent fight for a Human, but if you want to die with her than be my guest!"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Ichigo shouted.

"Kairi!" Sora exclaimed. Kairi slowly stood up to defend against Loly. Suddenly, before anything could happen, the floor started to shake, causing the fight to stop.

"What's that?" Ichigo asked. "I don't know!" Sora replied. Suddenly…

 _CRASH_

A huge figure burst out of the floor, with a smirk on his face as he climbed out of the hole he made. Sora saw that it was Yammy who recently appeared, smirking as he stood up.

"Hey Ulquiorra, how's it going?" Yammy greeted. "I thought I would come and back you up. Need a hand?"

Ulquiorra looked at him for a moment, then said, "You can't be serious. I don't need any help, especially from you."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at Yammy, remembering when him as the same person who attacked Chad and Orihime back in Karakura Town. "What?" He said. "It's that guy again."

"Yammy!" Sora exclaimed. It was definitely him but was it his imagination or did Yammy grow ten times bigger than he was before.

The Tenth Espada looked at the Keybearer, then smirked. "So, betrayed after all, huh Sora?" Sora said nothing as Yammy turned to Ichigo. "And that Soul Reaper kid looks a lot stronger than he used to be, am I right?" Yammy smiled as he said, "How about this, you take care of Sora, while I have a crack at the Soul Reaper."

"You're looking well." Ulquiorra said, seemingly ignoring Yammy's request. "It appears that you've made a descent recovery. But I'll pass. There's nothing for you to do here, Yammy." Yammy looked confused as he continued. "Go back and get a little more bed rest or find some Keyblade Wielders or Soul Reaper Captains to play with."

"What are you talking about? You're not to going hog all of the fun to yourself, are you?" Yammy asked. Ulquiorra glared at his fellow Espada member. "You know how you get once you've entered that state. You'll become too greedy. So the answer is no."

"Oh come up, lighten up Ulquiorra." Yammy said, taking a few step towards Ulquiorra.

"Yammy!" Menoly said, getting Yammy's attention. He looked down and saw Loly and Menoly. The latter immediately panicked as she stood up.

"Look, don't mind us. We're not involved in any of this." She frantically explained. "We'll just get out of your hair okay." Menoly turned to Loly and said, "Come on, Loly. Let's go."

"You've got be joking!" Loly shouted, incredulously. "After we've come this far!?"

"Loly, we're in over our heads…" Without warning, Yammy's hand smashed into Menoly, sending her crashing through the wall.

"Menoly!" Loly shouted, after seeing what happened to her friend. Kairi and Orihime watched what the Espada just did in horror. " _This guy just attacked his own comrade!"_ The former thought.

"Hey Ulquiorra, what gives huh?" Yammy asked him. "If you wanted to be alone, then what the hell are all of these girls doing up here with you?"

"Why don't you ask them?" Ulquiorra replied, not taking his attention off his two opponents.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Yammy knelt in front of Loly. "So what's the story with you two? Why would a couple of losers like you come slithering out of your hole?" Loly said nothing as she looked up at Yammy in fear. "You're not welcome here. Here let me help you find your way." Yammy proceeded to grab Loly, lifting her up. "GET LOST!" He then threw her to the ground like a ragdoll.

"Are you kidding me? Don't tell me you're done already." Unfortunately, Loly was on the ground, wrenching in pain. "Pathetic. I didn't break a sweat. Hey Ulquiorra, these two are couple of duds! I'm going to come join you over there." Yammy stood up and started walking towards Ulquiorra.

Kairi and Orihime looked at the beaten Loly, feeling scared at the Espada's brutality. Kairi however noticed something else. "That big guy didn't even notice us." She whispered. "In that case we should get out of here while we still can." Kairi started to move but saw Orihime was still motionless. "Orihime, come on. We have to go."

However, Orihime got up and slowly walked towards Loly. "Hey, wait…" Kairi followed Orihime to the injured Arrancar.

Loly struggled to get back up to her feet, still feeling pain from Yammy's attack. "Yammy, you bastard." She said to herself before looking behind her and saw Orihime. "What are you looking at? I'm sure you're getting a kick out of this." Orihime just looked at her with a sadden expression. "I was just about to kill you and your friend. Now look at me. Go ahead, laugh it up."

Suddenly, an orange barrier appeared around Loly, which she saw was Orihime, healing her. "What are you doing?! Get away from me! I don't your pity!" She lashed out as Orihime didn't respond to her. "What's the matter with you? I mean are you out of your mind or what? I was an inch away from killing you, you little fool. Why are you…why are you trying to help me?"

Loly and Orihime locked stares as the barrier vanished, the Arrancar now completely healed. She looked at herself and her with shock and disbelief. "I don't understand. What the hell are you?"

Kairi just looked at the exchange, trying to see it from Orihime's view. Despite Loly's hostile treatment to her, Kairi could see that the orange-haired girl couldn't bring herself to hate her. She was too nice for that. " _Orihime, really has a kind heart!"_ She snapped out of her musing as her eyes widen when she saw Yammy's fist coming Orihime.

"Orihime!" Kairi grabbed both her and Loly and tackled them away from his attack, the three rolling across the floor.

"Kairi!" "Orihime!" The duo shouted as they began charging at Yammy but Ulquiorra appeared in front of the two, crossing blades with them to stop them from moving.

"This is getting old." Ulquiorra said. "I've already told you that you have to deal with me first."

Yammy looked at Loly and said, "What? You're still alive? You'd be better off dead than to be wasting your time making friends with two Humans." Then Yammy looked at Kairi, seeing her weapon. "I know that weapon. You're a Keyblade Wielder like Sora. I think I might have fun playing with you." Kairi quickly got in front of Orihime, tightly gripping her Destiny's Embrace.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Sora shouted. Yammy opened his hand, reaching to grab Kairi, only for Loly appeared in front of them with a small dagger and cut Yammy's hand. Yammy looked at the cut as he saw blood dripping down. "What the hell? Now where could you have possibly been hiding that dagger? Naughty little thing, aren't you?"

"You saved us!" Loly looked at Kairi and Orihime with shocked expressions. "Shut up!" she said. "I don't give a damn about you two, okay. I just don't want to owe either of you any favors."

Yammy looked at Loly and said, "I'm sorry. Did you want me to backhand your ass again?!"

"Shut the hell up, Yammy! Keep your filthy hand off my catch, you hear me!" She angrily shouted, pointing her dagger forward. " _Poison! Escolopendra!_ " Loly's body began releasing a purple aura as she started to change. She took on the form of a centipede-like creature. Her mask grew and covered both of her cheeks, with armor over her legs, arms, breasts, and neck. Her arms also took the form of two long centipede-like creatures.

"I don't want to hear one word from you, you dumb prick! I didn't come all this way to let a complete idiot like you defeat me!" Loly swung one of her arm at Yammy. The Tenth Espada easily dodged it as the arm crashed into a pillar. Then, a strange purple substance began oozed out the pillar.

"All of you are dead!" Loly threatened. "You! Ulquiorra! Everyone! I'll cover you with so much poison, there be nothing left of you but a reduced a pile of scum!" She proceeded to wrap her centipede-like arm around Yammy's waist and purple smoke started to come out of the arm. Loly smirked in satisfaction, which was short lived as Yammy lowered his fist on Loly, destroying her armor as she spat out bile.

Yammy looked bored as Loly panted heavily from the ground, feeling several of her bones in her body broken. He then grabbed her and held her up.

Kairi looked on horrifically at what he was about to do. "No don't!"

"Stay back." Loly said, causing Kairi and Orihime to stop. Loly just looked at the two with slight contempt. "Nothing has changed. I still don't care about either one of you. I hate you two more than anything, especially you." She said to Orihime. Strangely, Kairi saw her giving a grudging smile. What did that mean?

However, Loly began wrenching in pain as Yammy's grip got tighter. "Man, for such a dainty little thing, you sure do have an awful big mouth." Yammy said as his grip continued to break more of Loly's bones.

"Damn it!" Loly cursed as she looked at Yammy. "Screw you! Think I gave a damn about what you say? You're pathetic, you know that."

"What did you call me?!" Yammy shouted angrily.

"You heard me…" A smirk appeared on Loly's face. "…you pathetic scumbag!" Having enough of her tone, the Espada slammed Loly through the wall.

"Ha, ha, ha, what were you saying? I couldn't hear you." He said Loly's head reeling back, showing she was knocked out. "Well, that's no fun. She already died on me. I knew this was going to be a waste of my time." With that, Yammy dropped the defeated Loly to the white sand outside the tower.

"No!" Kairi and Orihime shouted, getting the Espada's attention.

"Huh, you two got something to say?" Yammy said, looking at the two girls. "Hey Ulquiorra, what's deal with these two? Can I kill them yet?"

"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Ichigo shouted, as Ulquiorra pushed him back. Sora got down and used Airstep to appear towards Yammy. This was interrupted as Ulquiorra appeared in front of him. "Too slow." Ulquiorra said, kicking Sora in a face and sending into a wall. Ichigo took the opportunity to attack but Ulquiorra stopped him with his sword again.

"KAIRI, ORIHIME, GET OUT OF HERE!" Sora ordered, getting back up. "HURRY!"

Kairi nodded as she grabbed Orihime's hand and ran for the exit. But before they could escape, Yammy used Sonido and appeared in front of them. "Don't think you'll get away that easily." Yammy said.

Seeing no way out, Kairi summoned her Keyblade and got in front of Yammy. "Kairi!" Orihime shouted.

"I'll hold him off!" Kairi shouted. "Orihime, you get yourself to safety!"

"Hahaha, you want fight me, you little pest." Yammy said mockingly. "Fine then, you'll be the first to die."

As Yammy's fist was about to connect to the princess of light, an arrow suddenly pierced Yammy's left shoulder, causing him to fall to his knees. Sora and Kairi's eyes widen since they didn't know that person, but Ichigo looked surprise at the person, since he knew who it was.

"Uryū!" Ichigo said. "Don't let yourself get distracted." Uryū said, looking over his shoulder. "You just focus on your own opponent, Ichigo. I will deal with him." With a smirk, he said. "Don't you worry. I can handle his friend on my own."

"Uryū!" Orihime called, as Kairi looked at her.

"You know him?" She asked. Orihime smiled, nodding "Yes, he's a great friend."

Uryū looked over at Orihime and said, "I'm glad you're alright." He then noticed the red-haired girl next to her. "And I believe you are Kairi, a friend of the Keyblade Wielders."

Kairi blink for a second before saying. "Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you, Uryū was it."

"Wait a minute, how did you two get here?" Ichigo abruptly asked, getting the Quincy's attention. "Are you sure you want to have a conversation in the middle of a fight, Ichigo?" Uryū said, turning around. "It's simple really. Mayuri Kurotsuchi treated our injuries. He treated Renji first because he was in worst shape than I was. Rukia, Chad, Renji, Nel, and everyone else are in the middle of fighting Rudbornn as we speak."

"Wait, my friends are fighting with them?" Kairi asked, which Uryū nodded. Then, they turned to see the Tenth Espada get back up.

"Uryū! Kairi! Look out!" Orihime cried.

"Who the hell are you?!" Yammy roared. "You got balls thinking you can strike me!" He then slammed his fist on Uryū and Kairi, but the Quincy grabbed her and moved out of the way.

"I shot you with all that power and it didn't stop you." Uryū said to Yammy. "You're stronger than I thought."

"A lot stronger." Yammy narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. Uryū then turned to the Tenth Espada. "Is that right? Let's continue somewhere with less distractions."

Kairi looked at the hole then turned serious as she held her Keyblade up. "You're not leaving me out of this." She said as she joined Uryū's side. He looked at her for a moment before nodding, having witnessed a Keyblade Wielder's power firsthand.

"Uryū?" Ichigo looked behind his shoulder with caution. "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely, you deal with him. I'll take this one." Uryū jumped down the hole that Yammy came from.

"Hey Kairi, don't hold back on Yammy!" Sora said, to his dear friend, smirking. "Give him everything you got!"

Kairi smiled and said, "I plan to." Kairi looked at Orihime. "Hey Orihime, stay safe." And then, she jumped down the hole as well.

"What a bunch of smartasses." Yammy said with a smirk. "Ulquiorra, I'll be back once I'm done with these two."

Ulquiorra looked at Yammy and said, "Do as you wish." Yammy jumped down the hole after Uryū and Kairi. Ulquiorra noticed Sora and Ichigo were looking at the hole. "Are you that concerned about your friends?" The two looked back at the Espada.

"They'll be fine, unlike you." Ichigo said.

"We'll settle this now, Ulquiorra." Sora said, determined. Ulquiorra raised his Zanpakutō, ready for round 2.

* * *

On the lower level, Yammy landed in front of Uryū and Kairi. "I can't believe you two are that stupid." Yammy said to them. "Coming all this way here just to get killed. If you were going to be so late four-eyes, you shouldn't have shown at all."

"That shows what little you understand about what's happening." Uryū said. "You think I got here late because I hesitated, right?"

"Isn't that true?" He asked.

"You've got it all wrong." Uryū said as he pushed up his glasses. "I'm only late because a crazy scientist took his sweet time healing our wounds."

Yammy smirked and said, "That's too bad. I guess you lay the blame on that crazy scientist because you're about to ripped in half by my hands!"

Uryū shot an arrow at the Espada and Yammy easily defected with the back of his hand. "Thanks for offering your take on the situation." The Quincy said as he raised Ginrei Kojaku. "I don't need any more motivation to hate him."

"Regardless of the situation," Kairi summoned the Destiny's Embrace. "This is as far as you go. We'll stop you right here."

"You bastards." The smirk returned on Yammy's face. "Now I'm going to kill you." He charged towards the two but Kairi jumped away, leaving Uryū to fire another arrow. "Forget about it!" Yammy swatted the arrow away with his fist, then threw a punch at Uryū but he quickly got out of the way.

"I'm not falling for one of your tricks again." He sneered.

"Then how about this! Flower Shoot!" Kairi appeared behind Yammy and fired a projectile of light at him. Yammy smirked as he fired a Bala, both attacks canceling each other. The Espada swan his giant arm at Kairi, but she raised her Keyblade, blocking the punch but she felt the pressure from his punch and was pushed back several feet, forcing her to cartwheel away.

" _He's strong!"_ Kairi noted. _"Tesla was nothing compared to him."_

"Ha, ha, ha, what's wrong?" Yammy laughed. "I thought you Keyblade Wielders were all strong! What a joke!"

"I'm not done yet! Sparkza!" Kairi fired four large sparks of light aimed at Yammy, who took the attack, but merely smirked.

"What's this? That barely tickled!" He then charged Balas in both his fist and began firing them at the two.

"Kairi look out!" Uryū shouted as they both jumped on the pillars to dodge them all. "It seems like you two are pretty good when it comes to running away." Then Yammy looked above him and saw Uryū and Kairi, both aiming their weapons.

"When it comes to avoiding an attack, I'm quicker than you." The Quincy said, firing several arrows on Yammy's shoulder. Kairi then added her attack. " _ **Shotlock: Morning Dew!"**_ She proceeded to bombard him with dozens of light crystals that exploded all around him. However, the Tenth Espada held his ground from their attacks.

"How many would you like this time?" Uryū mockingly asked.

"Is that all you got!" With a simple flex, Yammy destroyed the arrows lodged in his shoulders. "Your puny attacks are nothing more than an irritation. They're hardy worth dodging."

"I was hoping that attack would at least make him flinch." Kairi said as she dodged another Bala from Yammy. She flipped over several pillars before landing on his back.

" **Shotlock Max: Luminous Burg!** " She created a magic circle that caused Yammy to be pummeled by volleys of light magic. While it pushed him back, no damage was still being done on him.

" _I can't believe our attacks are hardly affecting him._ " Uryū thought, watching the battle. " _Ichigo._ "

* * *

Back above the floor, Ichigo and Sora crossed swords with Ulquiorra again. After a few seconds, Ulquiorra knocked Ichigo back with a swing while Sora tried to attack, only to be kicked to the ground by the Espada.

"I'm puzzled by your behaviors." Ulquiorra said, walking over to the duo. Then, he looked at Orihime. "Perhaps the presence of this girl is the reason why you won't put on your mask and unleash your hollow powers." Ichigo gasped at his comment. He then looked at Sora. "The same goes for you. Is she the reason you won't use your Keyblade Transformations, the one you use to defeat Nnoitra and that Soul Reaper Captain." Sora just looked at Ulquiorra with a sour look.

"If that's the case…" Ulquiorra's eyes are now directed at Orihime. Sora and Ichigo got up and stepped in front of the Espada. "You're wrong." Ichigo said. "She has nothing to do with it."

"Then prove me wrong." Ulquiorra said. "Use your full power."

"I don't need powers to take you on!" Sora shouted as he and Ichigo clashed swords with Ulquiorra again.

* * *

On the lower floor, Kairi was continuing to dodge Bala attacks from Yammy. All while Uryū was sensing the battle above him. " _Ichigo is hesitating to release his full power._ " Uryū thought. " _If he does, Orihime and that Sora character might withstand the blast from his Hollowification._ "

Uryū readied his bow and drew his _Seele Schneider_. "Hey Kairi, come over here!" Uryū said, getting her attention. Kairi complied and jumped over to him.

"What is it?" She asked. "I have a plan." Uryū whispered it to her ear, Kairi giving a surprised look.

"Can you hold him off?" He asked.

"I can for a minute." Kairi replied, wondering if it can work.

"What going on?!" Yammy taunted, looking at the two. "You two hatching some kind of plan to take me on."

"You can say that." Uryū said, aiming his weapon at the Espada. "We don't have time to fool around with you anymore."

"We're going to get to our friends. It's time we end this." Kairi charged forward at Yammy, who grunted. "It doesn't what you two losers plan. The result will be the same."

"Oh really?" Kairi said. "I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you."

"You can't scare me, you little maggot." Yammy said, dashing towards Kairi, rearing his fist. The red-haired girl jumped away but not before jabbing her Keyblade at his knuckle. He looked confused as Kairi ran behind him. He turned to hit her with his other fist, but she jumped over and jabbed it to. She then ran on his arm as she hurriedly jabbed his two shoulders, then finally touched his neck. Having enough, Yammy spun around to shake her off, but Kairi slid across the floor.

"I don't know what you did, but those little jabs did nothing." Yammy mocked, until he suddenly stopped in his tracks. What's more, he felt his whole body being constricted by something. "What the hell!"

Kairi smiled in relief. "It looks like my chains finally connected." Waving her Keyblade, Yammy saw that his entire body was wrapped in gold chains, his arms and legs restrained on his body, along with his neck.

Yammy glared at Kairi as she explained. "Those jabs just now weren't meant to hurt you. It was to set up my chains to imprison you." Kairi smiled, " _I'm glad Master Yen Sid showed me this before the battle."_

"Damn you!" Yammy cursed. "You really think these chains can keep me trapped!"

"Nope. But it helps to buy time. Now Uryū!" Uryū nodded as he fired his weapon, piercing Yammy's chest. Yammy smirked and looked at the Quincy. "You must think this joke." Suddenly, smoke started to come out of the Seele Schneider as lights, burning Yammy's body, causing him to yell in pain.

"This attack was aimed at your reishi bonds." Uryū explained. "It loosens them and helps take them away. It lets me penetrate even an Arrancar's Hierro." However, to Uryū and Kairi's shock, Yammy flexed his muscles and shattered the chains. Then, he grabbed Uryū's weapon, pulling it out of his chest.

"You've miscalculated, you morons!" A Cero form in Yammy's mouth and fired it at Kairi and Uryū. Kairi casted a Reflect spell to block the attack, however, it only practically absorbed it as they were knocked away from the recoil. The two panted as they were trying to recover from Yammy's Cero.

"What's the matter?" Yammy taunted. "You two were so cool and confident earlier. Now you're looking nervous and desperate."

"You're about to find out what desperation feels like." Uryū shouted.

"For a small guy, you got a big mouth." Yammy smirked. "I don't know what you meant about taking my reishi. But all of that nonsense won't save you in the end." Yammy threw the Seele Schneider on the ground, piercing the floor. "You two are nothing but talk. That other Soul Reaper and Sora would've been a much bigger challenge. It's too bad for that crazy scientist you've mentioned, he wasted his time saving you." He raised his fist to charge a Bala.

Uryū just smirked at Yammy's comment. "Hey, I wouldn't go bad mouthing that scientist if I were you." He said. "You might end up regretting it."

"To hell with you!" Yammy fired a bala at Kairi and Uryū, who quickly jumped away from the attack. Kairi charged out of the smoke and ran forward as she struck his chest a few times, but it bounced off his Hierro. Yammy went to punch her but saw Uryū jumping high and fired some arrows at Yammy but kept missing. "Ha, you're going to need to improve your aim!" Yammy looked up and saw Kairi in the air.

"Carnation Barrage!" Kairi fired a rotating beam of light shaped like petals, but Yammy hardened his chest, the attack bouncing off.

"You're wasting your time!" He roared as Kairi raised her Keyblade to block the punch but was knocked into the air.

"Kairi!" Uryū exclaimed as he jumped and caught her, both crashing down to the ground. The Quincy saw that Kairi was slightly bruised.

"Are you okay!?" He asked. She nodded as she rubbed her stomach. "I'm fine. I fought someone who hits way harder than him." Kairi remembered fighting Saïx and strength he had in his berserk state.

Yammy turned to the two on the floor. "Out of options, I see. Let's put an end to this game now!"

"When it comes to being slow on the uptake, you're on the same level as Sora." Kairi said as she and Uryū got back on their feet.

"Did you think I was just randomly firing my arrows at you?" Uryū asked, taking out his last Seele Schneider. "I wasn't aiming for you at all. I've created a field to surround you." Uryū pierced the weapon to the ground and made a pentagon-shaped seal, trapping Yammy. "You've wondered right into my trap."

"Hold on a minute, what the hell is this?!" Yammy shouted, looking at the seal. Uryū took out a silver tube and poured the liquid in it onto the Seele Schneider, activating his trap " _Sprenger_ ".

"I warned you not to get too cocky." Kairi said as the blast engulfed Yammy, his screams of pain being heard. When the blast was done, Yammy was on his knees as blood began pouring out of his body.

"I can't use Sprenger as an offensive tactic because it takes too much time during a one-on-one battle." Uryū said. "Luckily for me, Kairi was here to help, giving me time to set it up. Plus, you dropped your defenses. That gave me more of an opening and made the plan much easier."

"Damn you!" Yammy cursed, trying to get back up. "You two think you're so smart but you haven't defeated me yet."

"Wow, I'm surprised you can still stand after taking a blast like that." Kairi said.

"Shut your mouth!" Yammy charged towards Kairi and Uryū. "Watch it!" Uryū said. "You should be careful over you step." As Yammy got closer the two, he screamed as he engulfed in another huge explosion.

"I should've mentioned that crazy scientist gave those to me. I've surrounded you with mines, especially designed for Arrancars." Uryū explained as he and Kairi walked over to see Yammy holding onto the edge of a hole that was created from the mine he detonated.

"I guess I needed to be specific with you." Uryū said. "I told you I wasn't aiming for you before, that I created a field to surround you. Apparently, you weren't listening to me. That field wasn't laid there by accident. I knew with pin-point position where to set the mines. After gauging the distance between us and I built a field right there. I just needed Kairi to lure you into it. I wouldn't too much for your sake."

"Damn it!" Yammy cursed. "You bastards!"

Kairi just shook her head. "Hey, it's your own fault. You should have been more aware of your surroundings."

Uryū nodded before asking a final question. "You're Yammy, the one Szayelaporro talked about."

"That's right! Why is so important to you?!" He barked.

"It's not really. It is a shame though." Uryū said, getting closer to the Espada. "You're a worthy opponent but you're not going to win this time."

"The days of your rampaging are over." Kairi then stabbed the side where Yammy was holding, causing it to break. Yammy's eyes widened as he fell down into the deep hole.

"Mala Suerte," Uryū said.

"Our condolences." Kairi finished. They heard Yammy's scream as he crashed through the multiple floors of the tower.

"Wow, I didn't think the falls were that weak." Kairi mused, looking over the hole.

"I guess I should explain that on the way here, I snapped a few pillars at each level so the floors would collapse more easily." Uryū explained. "I imagine that he'll fall all the way to the bottom."

* * *

With their job done, Uryū and Kairi jumped back to where Ichigo, Sora, and Ulquiorra were at, surprising them.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, happy to see she was still okay. Orihime was also smiling that they were both alright.

"Uryū, are you guys ok?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure, do we look ill?" Uryū replied.

"No, but we heard all of that commotion and I…" The Quincy interrupted his friend. "Oh, you mean all of those explosions. Those were because of mines that Mayuri had me bring along. I planted them earlier. They go off whenever they sense spiritual pressure nearby." Uryū explained.

"Uryū and I lured him there." Kairi finished, smiling. "Yammy fell right into it. He didn't even know that he was fighting on a mine field."

"Did you doubt our capabilities?" Uryū asked Ichigo.

Ichigo closed his eyes, smirking. "Actually, I never had my doubts about you, Uryū. And after seeing Kairi fight, I was sure she could hold her own." Ichigo said, Sora nodding in agreement. "The problem is that you talk too much. You ramble on and there's no way to block you out." Ichigo turned around and, in a serious tone, said, "You two take care of Orihime. If Orihime can't block my spiritual pressure with her Shun-Shun Rikka, I need the both of you to protect her with your lives."

"I would have done that without you telling me." Uryū stated.

"I was already protecting Orihime." Kairi reminded him. "At least I'll have some help."

"Don't worry guys, Ichigo and I will handle things here." Sora said, raising his Keyblade to enter Formchange. However, Ichigo held out his hand. "Sora, I need you to stay out of the fight this time."

Sora snapped his head back. "What! But why?!" He asked, confused.

"I don't need to you to get caught up in the crossfire." Ichigo explained, looking at Sora, dead in the eye. "Don't worry I handle this guy on my own." Sora look at Ichigo and saw that he's serious about fighting Ulquiorra by himself and nodded.

"Okay. He's all yours. Just promise me you'll take him down." Sora said as he ran to join the others. Ichigo smirked and returned his attention to Ulquiorra.

"Sorry to keep you waiting…Ulquiorra." Ichigo said, bringing his hand over his face. "I believe this is what you wanted to see, right? My Hollowification!" Black spiritual pressure came towards Ichigo's face, revealing his hollow mask that Sora saw him wear during his fight with Grimmjow. Then, in the blink of an eye, Ichigo crossed swords Ulquiorra. The spiritual pressure from Ichigo's Zanpakutō created a crack on Ulquiorra's Zanpakutō, causing the Espada to jump back.

"What's happening!? What did Ichigo just do!" Kairi asked, not having seen his Hollowification before.

"It's a long story!" Sora replied.

The force of the black spiritual pressure created a hole leading to the outside. Ulquiorra jumped out of the hole with Ichigo following him. Ulquiorra charged up a Cero and fired it at Ichigo. To his surprise, the Cero receded with Ichigo standing, unharmed by the attack. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes and flew past Ichigo, heading all the way to the top.

"Come back here!" Ichigo shouted as he follows Ulquiorra. " _Damn it! How far is he planning to go?_ " As the two got closer to the sky, Ulquiorra created a hole and passed through it.

Outside of the palace, an explosion erupted on the canopy of Las Noches. Ichigo popped out of the smoke and looked around, seeing nothing the dark desert of Hueco Mundo. "Wait a minute, are we above the canopy of Las Noches?" Ichigo asked.

"That's right." Ulquiorra said. Ichigo looked up and saw Ulquiorra looking down on him.

* * *

Back with the Arsoke Alliance, the combatants ceased their fighting momentarily as they sensed a large amount spiritual pressure erupting through Las Noches.

"What's happening?" Renji asked as he, his allies, and the Exequias looked at the sky.

"That spiritual pressure." Rukia breathed.

"Oh, I can feel it." Rudbornn said, looking at the sky. "It's Master Ulquiorra. He's broken through the canopy of Las Noches."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Roxas asked, confused. Nel however, looked up at the sky, her eyes widening with fear.

"Oh no! Ichigo's in danger!" Nel exclaimed, causing her friends to give her questionable glances.

"What!" Lea exclaimed.

"What do you mean!" Chad asked.

"Nel, is something wrong?!" Aqua asked.

Gantenbainne, who shared Nel's concerns, replied. "There's something you all need to know. The reason Ulquiorra is heading out because one of the rules of Las Noches is Espadas ranked 4 and above can't use their Resurrección from inside. Because they're powers…can destroy this place."

Hearing those words caused everyone, especially Ichigo's friends, to look up with fearful expressions.

"No!" Chad exclaimed.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled.

"We have to help him!" Renji declared. However, many Exequias appeared, disrupting their retreat.

"I'm afraid no one is going anywhere." Rudbornn stated as he summoned more of his men. Everyone glared daggers at him as they continued to fight off his men. Ichigo's friends wanted to help him but were also cornered. There had to be something they could do. But what?

" _Holy_!"

" _Firaza!"_

" _Tornado!"_

Suddenly, three pillars of light struck down dozens of Exequias while many were blasted by a large fireball. Then, those that remained were struck down by a spinning figure that knocked them all away. Everyone paused as the Disney trio stood tall.

Mickey smiled. "I'm glad we made it in time!"

"Mickey!" Riku said happily.

"Gawrsh, you fellers could use some help." Goofy said.

"Good thing we're experts here." Donald stated.

"Donald! Goofy!" Ven cheered. Though Ichigo's friends and the Arrancar weren't familiar with them, they could see they were allies.

Just them, three more Exequias rushed over to attack, until…

"Hadō #31. Shakkahō!" They were struck down by a crimson red explosion. As the explosion died down, everyone saw the person stepping out of the smoke was Ashido. Much to everyone's surprise, especially Rukia's.

"A-Ashido!" Rukia stammered, not having expected to see him here. Ashido looked at Rukia with a smile.

"Hello, Rukia. It's good to see you." He looked at Renji and Chad, who were just as surprised. "It's good to see everyone."

"B-But…how are you…" Rukia was cut off by him. "We can ask questions later. Right now we have more important things to worry about."

Riku turned serious. "Right. Now that we got some help, we should try to give Ichigo some help with that Espada."

"Don't even bother. You losers wouldn't even come close to scratching Ulquiorra."

Everyone turned to see who that voice belonged to. While some didn't know that man, Nel, Renji, Rukia, and Gantenbainne gasped in shock at him.

"What the!" Renji exclaimed.

"It's him!" Rukia gasped.

Gantenbainne nervously gritted his teeth. "It's you. Grimmjow."

Sure enough, it was Grimmjow, giving the Arsoke Alliance a bored expression. Rukia recovered and aimed her Zanpakutō at him.

"Espada! What the hell are you doing here!" She demanded. Grimmjow just gave her a leer that caused her to step back.

"Back off Soul Reaper! Unless you want another hole in your gut?" He threatened, causing Renji to step forward, aiming Zabimaru at him. The Sixth Espada just laughed him off. "What! What's with all the hostilities? I mean you should be thanking me for bringing back your pals."

Everyone looked over to the Disney Trio and Ashido.

"Mickey, is that true?" Riku asked.

"He really led you guys here!?" Roxas asked in disbelief.

The King nodded. "It's true. Though we weren't willing to trust him right away."

"He said he wanted something." Ashido looked at Grimmjow. "So tell us Arrancar. What are you after!?"

Grimmjow just looked up at the hole where Ichigo and Ulquiorra had gone. "I wanna settle the score with Ichigo. But right now Ulquiorra has been a pain in my ass. So, he's my top priority."

The Alliance gave each other quizzed expressions. Grimmjow…was going to help them. Nel stepped forward giving Grimmjow a stern expression, one that he returned. Everything was silent at the tension in the air.

* * *

Above the canopy, Ulquiorra looked down upon Ichigo, the crescent moon shining brightly behind the Espada.

"Under Aizen's orders, two things are forbidden below the canopy of Las Noches." Ulquiorra said. "The first is Gran Rey Cero which exists for only an Espada. And the second is…the sword release of Espadas who are ranked 4 and higher. They are both so powerful if released; they would threaten to destroy Las Noches itself." Ulquiorra pointed his sword at Ichigo. " _Imprision! Murcielago!_ "

Ichigo's eyes widen as black and green spiritual energy engulfed Ulquiorra and fell down like rain. As it dispersed, Ulquiorra's appearance had become more bat-like, with large, black bat wings on his back. His hair grew longer and wilder, and the remains of his Hollow mask centered atop his head, with two large horns extending outward to the sides towards the front. The lines on his face became black, broader, and more triangular, and his fingernails lengthen. His Arrancar attire was also more form fitting and closed at the top, becoming more like a robe towards the bottom.

Sensing his spiritual pressure had drastically increased, Ichigo quickly put up his guard, getting ready for an attack from the Espada.

"Compose yourself." Ulquiorra said. "You must hold your stance. Extend your consciousness. Do not let your guard down." He then generated a green energy javelin, _"Luz de la Luna!"_

Then, with immense speed, Ulquiorra appeared before Ichigo, his weapon close to his head, ready to cut it off. An explosion erupted as a green blast dome surrounded the area. When it subsided, Ichigo fell on his knees, breathing heavily with blood coming from his head.

"You instinctively used Getsuga." Ulquiorra deduced. "A wise choice on your part. If you hadn't reacted the way that you did, your head would be resting at my feet right now."

Ichigo panted as he felt the top right of his Hollow mask having been blown off. " _It's not possible._ " Ichigo thought. " _That was too fast. This can't be happening I couldn't react at all, even in my Hollowified state._ "

"The power of your so-called 'Hollowification' has increased." Ulquiorra stated. "You're even capable of hearing the mask longer. And yet, I didn't expect it to shatter that easily." Ichigo's eyes widen as Ulquiorra raised his javelin to attack again. "How unfortunate for you."

" _Watch closely!"_ Ichigo thought, watching Ulquiorra as he envisioned him slowly threwing his weapon at him. " _I can see it!_ " With his reflexes, Ichigo moved his head to the side, dodging the weapon. This was short lived as Ulquiorra had thrown another weapon to where he had moved his head. Ichigo barely dodged out of the way but the force of Ulquiorra's weapon forcefully pushed Ichigo back. As he was being pushed back, Ichigo stabbed his sword to the ground to slow his movement. He put his hand over his face and repaired his mask.

He narrowed his eyes as the Fourth Espada flew towards him at high speed. Their weapons clashed, causing to fly from the ceiling.

* * *

Inside the palace, Sora and the others ran towards the hole that Ichigo and Ulquiorra made. They looked up and saw the hole in the sky.

"Why is there a hole in the sky?" Kairi asked.

"Because it's not real." Sora explained. "We're actually inside Las Noches. Aizen made it look like it was morning to bring some light here."

"I see." Uryū understood, looking at the sky. "The sky of Las Noches was a fake this whole time." Then, everyone's attention was grabbed as Orihime walked towards Sora, Kairi, and Uryū.

"Orihime…" Uryū whispered, getting his friend's attention. " _We're not out of the woods yet._ " He thought. " _But I'm glad that you're alright._ "

"Don't worry, Ichigo will be fine." Sora said with a smile. "We just gotta have faith in him."

"He's right." Uryū said to Orihime. "I'm confident Ichigo will win."

Orihime gave the two boys a small smile and nodded. While Sora was confident in his words, Uryū frowned as he looked up. " _Come on, Ichigo._ " Uryū thought. " _Don't make a liar out of us! You can do it!"_

"Hey, look over there!" Kairi exclaimed as she pointed at the distance. Everyone looked and saw two figures flying up to where the hole was. Sora squinted his eyes as he saw the two people were none other than Nel and…Grimmjow!

* * *

Above the canopy, Ulquiorra and Ichigo's weapon's clashed again with Ichigo getting forcefully pushed back by the Espada.

"What is it that you're waiting for?" Ulquiorra asked. "Fire your Getsuga." Ichigo's eyes widened. Why would he want him to use it against him. "Fire it at me. That is when you're at most lethal. A form capable of holding up even against an Espada. And we both know that Getsuga is your most powerful technique. Fire it. Show it to me and I'll let you see the difference in our strengths."

" **You're serious?!** " Ichigo said, shocked at his words. " **You want me to fire Getsuga?!** " Ichigo slashed his sword, causing Ulquiorra to back off. He didn't know what his game was, but if asked for it, then he was going to get it. " **Well allow to help you with your request!** " Ichigo's spiritual pressure quickly started to rise as he channeled it over Zangetsu.

" **Getsuga…Tenshō!** " Ichigo then fired his signature sword slash at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra made no move to dodge and raised his hand, easily blocking the attack.

"It is just as I had thought." He said as he destroyed the attack with his bare hand. "You are after all merely human."

Ichigo looked at the Espada and was shocked to see that he was unharmed by his powerful technique. " **You're not hurt?!** " He said surprised.

"No, not quite." Ulquiorra said. "Although, your black Getsuga is very similar to our own cero."

" **Cero? Don't compare it something like that!** " Ichigo barked.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that you haven't gotten to see it yet." Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Ichigo and began forming a black Cero with a green outline. "Since this is your last battle, I'll show it to you. This is the black cero that an Espada can discharge in a released state. _Cero Oscuras_!"

Ulquiorra fired the Cero Oscuras at Ichigo. The half Soul Reaper raised his sword and tried to withstand the attack. Unfortunately, the blast proved too much form him, his mask destroyed. However, before the blast could engulf him, a figure came a blinding speed, pulling him out of the way.

* * *

Below, Sora, Uryū, Orihime, and Kairi felt a rush of spiritual pressure coming from the Cero, pushing them down.

"What's going on?!" Kairi said, falling to the ground from the pressure. Sora, Uryū, and Orihime were the only ones trying to stay on their feet. But soon, Orihime was losing her bearing and held on the hole to keep straight.

"Orihime!" Uryū shouted. Orihime looked at Sora and Uryū with a worried look on her face. Uryū looked at the sky. "Damn it Ichigo! What's happening up there?!"

"Come on, Ichigo!" Sora shouted. Orihime looked at the sky worried. Then the worried look turned into a determined expression and the spiritual pressure subsided.

"Uryū…" Orihime said, getting the Quincy's attention. "Do you think it's possible that by using your powers, you can lift us above that canopy?"

Everyone looked at Orihime with widen eyes as Sora looked at her as if he knew what she's going to do.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?!" Kairi exclaimed. "We don't know what happening up there. We could end up getting in his way."

Sora, however, saw the determined expression on Orihime's face. Understanding her feelings, Sora placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Kairi, it's okay." He then looked over at Uryū. "We'll all go together."

* * *

Ulquiorra stood tall as he watched smoke coming out of a pillar that his Cero Oscuras sent Ichigo flying towards. With no sign of him, Ulquiorra slowly descended to that area.

"Do you understand it now?" Ulquiorra asked, looking through the smoke. "I'm afraid that no matter how closely your form and techniques resemble an Arrancar's, the difference in our power will be as great as that between Heaven and Earth." He said, gazing at the smoke. "Imitating Hollow seems like perfectly logical path for you to follow in order to gain more power. It's not surprising do that to become stronger. But you will never be my equal."

"Man, you really love hearing your own voice don't you!" Ulquiorra paused when the smoke dispersed, revealing Grimmjow in his Resurrección with Ichigo towed over his shoulders.

"Guessing you were too busy boasting about your own superiority that you neglected to keep your eyes open." Grimmjow admonished him.

Ulquiorra remained silent, then spoke. "Grimmjow. Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery."

"Shut up!" The Sixth Espada yelled. "I don't give a crap about any of Aizen's plans or orders. I made it clear that _I_ was gonna be the one to take Ichigo down."

"Grimmjow? You're here…how?" Ichigo breathed in disbelief.

"Be quiet!" He replied. "You should thank that friend of yours. To nice for her own good."

Ichigo blinked before he guessed that Orihime must have also healed him during Kenpachi's battle with Nnoitra.

"And he's not alone." Ichigo saw Nel stepping between them. "I also decided that I needed to help you. Besides," Nel looked at Grimmjow. "Remember, I said you can come but I would personally stop you if you harm Ichigo."

The Sixth Espada smirked. "Like you have any power to tell me what to do! I still can't believe you were that kid the whole time!"

Nel looked away and faced Ulquiorra. "Hello, Ulquiorra."

"Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck." The Fourth Espada said in a neutral tone. "It is a surprise that the former Third Espada returned. When we last met, I was a lowly Números. However, as you have realized, I have risen to the ranks of Fourth Espada."

"That doesn't matter." Nel stated, drawing her sword. "I came here to protect Ichigo and that is what I will do!"

"I'd like to settle the score now, but you're in the way." Grimmjow said, readying his claws.

"Wait a minute!" Ichigo exclaimed, everything was happening so fast. "First off, this is my fight. I don't want anyone interfering." He then shot a glare at his Arrancar rival. "Second, you're the last person I ever want to team up with!"

"You're still going on about that!" Grimmjow scoffed. "If it weren't for me, you'd be obliterated right now."

"Ichigo, please." Nel said softly. "I know you prefer to settle your own battles, but just this once, swallow your pride and accept help."

Ichigo remained silent, thinking of his chances. "I can deal with Sora helping me. And I wouldn't have problems working with you. But why should I work with him." He pointed at Grimmjow.

"Cause Ulquiorra ain't playing around." Grimmjow stated sharply. "For as long as I've known him, Ulquiorra has hardly ever used his Resurrección. When he does, that means he's through playing around…and is going in for the kill."

They turned to see the Fourth Espada giving them dark expressions, his spiritual pressure steadily rising. "See what I mean." Grimmjow said. "In this battle, it's all or nothing. If we're gonna stop him, it has to be us. Everyone else is down below dealing with the Exequias. Basically, no backup is gonna be showing up. We're on our own."

Ichigo didn't respond immediately. He looked at Ulquiorra and could sense that he was more powerful than before. Nel felt the same as she turned to him. "He is right, Ichigo. Ulquiorra is more powerful than I had anticipated. I'm not sure if I could stop him on my own." She said seriously. "We all need to work together if we wish to defeat him."

Ichigo remained silent for a short moment before giving Grimmjow a skeptical look. "Never pegged you as the type to want to help people."

"I can do whatever the hell I want! Like it said, I'm the only one who gets to kill you!" Grimmjow exclaimed, annoyed.

The Substitute Soul Reaper sighed heavily. "Fine then. You guys win." Ichigo then faced Ulquiorra with a determined expression. "Just know, this is the only time I'm ever teaming up with you."

The Sixth Espada snorted. "Damn straight! We'll settle our score later!"

Nel got into her fighting stance as Ichigo and Grimmjow stood on either side of her in the front. With a mighty roar, the two rivals charged at incredible speed with Nel following closely behind. Ulquiorra remained stoic as Ichigo and Grimmjow tried attacking him with a flurry of attacks; Ichigo dealing several sword slashes while Grimmjow attacked with his arm-blades, jabs, and kicks. However, the Fourth Espada stood his ground and easily blocked and parred all those attacks with his javelin and free arm.

Having enough, Ulquiorra pointed his finger to fire a Cero Oscuras at them. Nel saw this and used Sonido to appear and use Cero Doble to absorb the entire Cero. Nel clenched her stomach due to the raw power of this powerful Cero but was able to fire it back at Ulquiorra. He raised his hand to block it and while it dispelled, his eyes widened when he saw a small scorch mark on his forearm.

"Now Ichigo!" Grimmjow yelled.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo fired another black wave of spirit energy while Grimmjow launched forward to deliver a hard punch at the Fourth Espada. Ulquiorra jumped away and avoided the attack. Grimmjow looked up and growled before all his claws began glowing.

"Desgarrón!" He slashed at his opponent's direction, launching all ten blue spirit energy blades. Ulquiorra effortlessly slashed them all with his javelin, then threw it at Grmmjow's eyes widened as he was engulfed in the dome-shaped explosion.

Ulquiorra looked down for a moment before he sensed Ichigo behind him.

"Don't forget about me!" Ichigo roared as he coated Getsuga around Zangetsu, increasing his sword's power as he slashed Ulquiorra across the chest, sending him plummeting on the ground. Nel used the advantage to fly up and kick Ulquiorra across the face. She then delivered rapid sword strikes that he dodged in time before ending with a punch on his right cheek.

As the Fourth Espada was sent careening across the tower, Grimmjow emerged from the explosion with minor burns but was still not out. With a battle cry, he raised his elbows forward. "Garra de la Pantera!" He fired dark-green, crystalline bullets that bombarded Ulquiorra across his body.

He was sent rearing into another tower, crashing a hole into it, temporarily stunned.

"Ichigo! Grimmjow! Now is our chance." Nel instructed. Ichigo nodded as he summoned his Hollow mask. Grimmjow and Nel both sliced their hands, releasing blood, charging up a Cero.

" **Getsuga Tenshō!** "

"Gran Rey Cero!"

All three of their powerful attacks mixed together to form one powerful attack. Ulquiorra looked up in time to see the combo attack strike him, engulfing him in an explosion that decimated the tower he stood in.

The three combatants continued to stare at the smoke cloud, knowing that he wouldn't be easily dealt with by the attack. They at least hope it was enough to significantly injure him.

However, they received their answer when the smoke cleared. "You three are truly eager to die."

Their eyes widened when they saw Ulquiorra. Despite a bit of tears in his robe, he had not been injured in the slightest.

"What the hell! He's…still standing." Ichigo quietly whispered.

"I know he's the Fourth Espada, but those attacks should have done a number to him!" Grimmjow uttered in shock.

Nel narrowed her eyes. "That is why Aizen trusted Las Noches to him."

"In any case, I applaud your efforts at a last stand." Ulquiorra stoically praised. "But if that is the extent of your combined powers, then surely you must have realized the vast difference in our powers. Do you truly still believe that you can actually defeat me."

"Difference in power?" Nel and Grimmjow turned to see Ichigo looking at Ulquiorra. "That doesn't matter at all. You think I'll give up just because you're more powerful than me? From our first battle, I knew that you were stronger." Ichigo looked down briefly, remembering their past encounters. "At this point, no matter how many times I see how powerful you are, it won't make a difference to me. I'm determined to see this through to the end. I refuse to give up. You should've realized that by now."

Ichigo lifted his sword up, glaring at the Espada with immense determination and conviction. "I will defeat you!" A small smirk appeared on Ichigo's face. "Ulquiorra!"

Nel smiled at Ichigo's words while Grimmjow grunted, though gave a small smirk.

"You've heard his answer." Nel said. "You may be power than us, but we won't be giving up. Not as long as we fight together as one. You may have power, but we have strategy."

Grimmjow just scoffed. "Like I give a crap about you two." He then gave Ulquiorra a predatory smirk. "All I care about is tearing you apart and show you what happens for taking someone else's prey."

Ulquiorra merely gazed at them, mostly at Ichigo though. His eyes had widened from Ichigo's words and his eyes were not that of a person who had accepted his fate or fallen into despair. Ichigo truly believed he would win this fight. Was it because he had help or was that just his own belief?

"That's nonsense." He said, getting their attention. "It would seem that none of you have been made aware of the true despair of defeat." The three combatants looked on in wonder. Then, their eyes widen when green aura began to surround Ulquiorra, causing the ground to start shaking loudly. "Since you don't understand, I'll teach you. All of you. This is what true despair looks like."

* * *

Inside the palace, Sora, Uryū, Orihime, and Kairi were floating up to the hole in Las Noches' ceiling, thanks to a special technique Uryū had learned from his father during their training.

"Wow! This is so awesome!" Sora said excitedly as he looked down at the ground.

"How incredible." Orihime said, also joining Sora in looking down, causing Kairi to giggle at their childish behavior.

"I'm amazed that you could use something like this." Kairi said, turning to the Quincy.

"I've learned this when I went through the Garganta." Uryū explained. "I realized on the way here that I can use this in Hueco Mundo as well. I wished I could've figured this out sooner. I could have used this in some of my earlier battles."

"Uryū." Orhime said. Then all four of them felt a large amount of spiritual pressure.

"What the hell was that?" Uryū said with widen eyes.

"It came from up above." Kairi pointed out as an of black orb made of spirit energy that was coming from the hole in the ceiling and engulfed the four.

"What's that force? Spirit energy?" The Quincy questioned.

" _This is too different._ " Uryū thought as they got closer to the hole. " _It's unlike spirit energy I've experienced before. It's not just powerful…it feel thick and heavy. It is as if there's an ocean spread above the sky. It's something other than spirit energy. I can it could crush us._ "

"What is this stuff?!" Sora asked.

"I've never…" Orihime said, worried.

"Is Ichigo alright." Kairi said, feeling scared.

"I don't know." Uryū said. "But we need to hurry!"

* * *

The spiritual pressure disappeared from around Ulquiorra and his appearance changed again. While he retained his black wings, his long white coat was gone, revealing his slender white torso, with his bare chest patterned so his Hollow hole appeared to be dripping black, blood-like liquid. His waist became covered in something similar to black fur, also covering his arms and legs. His fingers grew claw-like extensions, and his feet resembled talons. The irises of his eyes turned yellow, and the sclera became green. The tear-like marks under his eyes increased in size and turn black. Ulquiorra's mask was completely gone. He has two large bat ears, and the 4 tattoo is no longer visible on his chest.

" **Resurrección: Seguanda Etapa!** " Ulquiorra said. Ichigo, Nel, and Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra's new form with widen eyes. "Among the Espadas, I alone have found a way to achieve this second stage release. I have not even shown this form to the great Lord Aizen."

Nel and Grimmjow watched in shock. Speechless of what they had heard. " _A second level of Resurrección! I didn't even think that was possible!"_ The latter frantically thought.

Nel gulped as she felt her hands started to slightly tremble. " _I'm not sure how he did it, but Ulquiorra has somehow broken past his limit and achieved a higher form. His spirit energy…it feels like it's…nothing but darkness for miles."_

Ichigo tightened the grip on his sword and with some difficulty, got back to his feet.

"So, you've seen my imposing form and you still have the will to fight." Ulquiorra said to Ichigo.

" _He's so confused._ " He thought. " _He can feel fear. And yet those are not the eyes that are giving up. Does this mean he actually believes he can win_?"

He wasn't the only one. Grimmjow soon shook off his shock and slowly formed a sadistic smile. "Ulquiorra, you bastard. You were actually keeping something like this a secret from me."

Ulquiorra looked at Nel and unlike the other two, she still shook with apprehension. Now, he took a step and said, "Very well then, I will show you all the true depth of my power. Even if I have to grind your bodies into dust." Ulquiorra took a stance. "You will understand!"

Ichigo quickly got into a defensive stance only to see Ulquiorra fly past him and use his claw-like hand to grab the side of Grimmjow's head, forcefully pushing him to the side. The Sixth Espada was sent flying through the air rapidly and crashed into another pillar, destroying the top of it. When the dust clear, Grimmjow's body trembled as he was aching all over.

"NO! Grimmjow!" Ichigo shouted.

" _He was defeated…with just one attack!"_ Nel though with wide eyes. However, Ulquiorra appeared in front of her. Nel jumped back and made to slash him, only to use Sonido and appear behind her. Before Nel could react, her eyes widened when Ulquiorra pierced her abdomen with his claws. She spat out blood and slowly fell to the ground.

"NEL!" Ichigo could believe how Ulquiorra dealt with them so easily.

The former Espada clenched her wound as she slowly looked up to see Ulquiorra forming a Cero Oscuras.

"Try absorbing this now!" Ulquiorra fired it. Nel knew she had no power left to use Cero Doble. However, Ichigo used Flash Step to appear in front of her and summoned his mask. He then fired another Getsuga Tenshō which collided with the Cero. After a brief power struggle, Ichigo's mask shattered and was engulfed in the explosion.

When the smoke cleared, everyone saw Ichigo badly wounded from the attack. The top of his robe was completely torn off, and he was bruised all over, slowly bleeding.

"Ichigo." Nel whispered, fearing her friend's safety. Ulquiorra looked at him trembling and felt that his work was finished. Unfortunately, his eyes widened when he saw Ichigo trying to use his Zanpakutō to stand up. Ulquiorra rushed towards Ichigo, attempting to grab his head. Ichigo saw the Fourth Espada coming and raised Tensa Zangetsu to block the attack. Ulquiorra used Sonido to appear in front of Ichigo and grabbed his sword by the blade. Then, Ulquiorra's tail, in a fast motion, slapped Ichigo across the face, sending him flying. Ichigo put his hand over his face summoning his hollow mask once more.

"You are a fool, Ichigo Kurosaki!" Ulquiorra said, pushing Ichigo back. "Why would you challenge an enemy you can't possibly defeat? Most beings want to preserve their life. I can't comprehend this." Ulquiorra grabbed Ichigo by the head, destroying his mask and sending crashing through two pillars.

"Nelliel and Grimmjow have already fallen before your eyes, yet you still wish to challenge me. You must be doing this through what you people called heart. If so, it seems to be more of a liability than strength. What stupidity. Because of this antiquated concept of 'heart,' you have chosen to lose your life."

The smoke of the destroyed started to clear and Ichigo was revealed still standing but showing damage from Ulquiorra's attacks. "I didn't decide to fight you because I see myself winning this battle." Ichigo said. "The only reason I continue to fight is I have to win!"

Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo with narrowed eyes. "Have it your way." He said as everything turned black.

* * *

Sora, Uryū, Orihime, and Kairi finally reached the canopy of Las Noches. They landed on the floor as the platform they were on disappeared.

Sora began looking around. "I don't see Ichigo."

"I don't sense Ichigo's spiritual pressure either." Uryū said.

Kairi felt nervous as she turned around and gasped when she saw Nel crawling over to where Grimmjow laid.

"Everyone, look!" She exclaimed, causing them to see Nel and Grimmjow heavily.

"Nel! Grimmjow!" Sora shouted as they all ran to where they were. Wasting no time, Orihime used her powers to form a dome and slowly heal them.

"Dammit!" Grimmjow cursed, "I never thought…he'd be this powerful. If he wanted to…he could have been in the running for number 2 or 1 even."

Uryū blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? Where's Ichigo?"

"Please." Nel pleaded to them. "You have to…save Ichigo."

"What happened here?" Sora asked, but then he and everyone else sensed a monstrous energy. When they turned around, they all saw a frightening sight; Ulquiorra standing in front of a beaten Ichigo, with his tail wrapped around Ichigo's neck.

Ulquiorra looked down and saw Orihime. "So you've come, how nice." Ulquiorra said coldly.

"I…Ichigo…" Orihime said worried.

"Ulquiorra!" Sora said, sensing an enormous amount of spiritual pressure from him.

"You've came just in time. Now watch closely." Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Ichigo's chest and a black ball started to form. Orihime's and Sora's eyes widen in horror. "Here is the man who you have entrusted with all your hope…"

"You bastard!" Grimmjow cursed, trying to stand up. "Don't you do it!"

"…bare witness as his life comes to an end." He finished.

"No!" Nel screamed.

Tears began to flow down from Orihime's eyes. "NO!" She screamed as the black cero was fired and went straight through Ichigo's chest.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Wow! This is by far the longest chapter I have ever written. I knew that the chapters were going to get longer, but hopefully the quality of it was just as impressive. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the fights in this chapter; such as Sora and Ichigo teaming up against Ulquiorra, Kairi and Uryū fighting Yammy, and Ichigo, Nel, and Grimmjow fighting Ulquiorra. I also added in the bits with Ichigo's friends and Sora's friends fighting off the Hollows and Exequias together, along with the name "Arsoke Alliance." It just popped into my head while I was writing this story, so I thought I'd use it here.**_

 _ **I would have posted this chapter earlier, but I was busy with E3 and I gotta tell you, I was impressed. They announced the Kingdom Hearts III DLC "Re-Mind". Which not only includes Riku and Aqua being playable during the Organization battle but also Roxas can be played with again. Oathkeeper is also returning and I don't know if that Formchange is Ultimate Form or not, but it looks great. I hope they'll reveal more about the DLCs, like how Xion returned or what became of Demyx. Maybe they can even expand more on Twilight Town and Scala ad Caelum. Wishful thinking but I'm an optimist.**_

 _ **Anyways, I'll be taking a short break to rest but look forward to the next chapter. Not only will it be Sora's turn to fight but also the return of two characters (from Kingdom Hearts). Keep waiting until then.**_

 _ **Next Time: With Ichigo down, Sora faces off against Ulquiorra in their final clash. As the dangers increases, the heroes receive help from an old enemy and the return of a dear friend. Leave a review.**_

 _ **Review Time:**_

 _ **NinjaFang1331:**_ _Thanks_

 _ **Guest:**_ _I'm glad you like it. I try my best to think of how Sora will respond in situations. And playing the Kingdom Hearts series helps._

 _ **Antex-The Legendary Zoroark:**_ _Thank you. It was also my favorite battle to and chapter to right. I also try to include screen time for everyone to have their own moments. I also liked that short eulogy you gave to Nnoitra. I hope you don't mind that I used it as inspiration for Nel to give him a short burial. True he was beast, but he had his own pride, something that left his mark on those who met him._

 _ **Hotstreak's crossover stories:**_ _That's just how Aqua is. I would have let them fight but I figured it was something Kenpachi wanted to settle. As for Sora's Arrancar friends, no they will still follow Aizen. However, Sora's involvement will eventually make them see the truth._

 _ **chaosshadow19:**_ _I didn't know that. However, let me just say that I have_ _ **never**_ _watched any of the Bleach Filler Arcs. The only Filler episodes I've seen were about Ashido, the rogue Arrancars, beach party, Dream episodes, and New Year's._

 _ **Khy Dragon:**_ _Glad you understand. Don't worry, I don't plan on doing that to Ichigo. I looked at the story and it's a great read. However, I don't plan to make a story like that. You should give it to the author though._

 _ **Guest:**_ _I've also watched Top 10 videos from WatchMojo. While there are fights here that I like, I'm not sure if I can go the deep in analyzing them. Though I'll keep it in mind._

 _ **Silverking619:**_ _I'm glad your enjoying it. With KH3 out, I decided to incorporate some of the game mechanics like Formchange, Shotlock, Water magic. Since Kairi and Riku didn't have much to work with, I gave them more powers. I also gave Lea Shotlock and he will also use Formchange later on. Sorry but there will be no Heartless in this story. As for Lingering Spirits, will let's just say Sora will have a mental encounter with one of his greatest enemies. Don't worry, Sora will show up in Karakura Town with others to change the tides of the war. Sora won't have the Shooting Star Keyblade, but he does have access to its Formchanges._

 _ **Gundam-Knight-Chris:**_ _Thanks for pointing that out. I went back and changed it._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Wait no longer._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Read and find out._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Ashido will have more appearances later on._


	21. Sora vs Ulquiorra!

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War

 _ **A/N: The twenty first chapter is finally up for reading. This one is filled with dynamics as a couple of battles will take place here, mainly with Ulquiorra. However, as you've all expected, this is where Hollow Ichigo makes his appearances. However, things with Hollow Ichigo and Ulquiorra will end differently from the canon series. Also, as I said at the end of the chapter, two characters will be joining the battle later in this chapter. I will also be revealing two other Kingdom Heart characters that will make their appearance. As for who, please read and find out. And take note that I don't own anything.**_

 _ **(Cue 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Opening)**_

 _ **Ep. 21: "Sora vs Ulquiorra! Fighting the Darkness Within!"**_

In the World of Radiant Garden, Ansem the Wise was observing the computer monitor, that was connect to the replica's medical bed, where Ienzo was observing the replica's vital signs. Surely enough, all the vital signs appeared to be functioning at a normal rate and the data screen was at 100 percent completion.

Ienzo smiled. "Well, it took a long time. But I can proudly say that the data transfer was a success. The Replica now has all the data of Naminé, including her appearance."

Ansem the Wise nodded in satisfaction. "Yes. Though there were unforeseen circumstances in our way, I am glad that our efforts were not in vain." He then turned serious. "However, the real challenge is delivering the vessel as we did with Roxas."

Ienzo sighed, knowing they still had more work on their way. "I know. Tell me Master, did the signal return again."

Rather than saying anything, Ansem motioned over to his monitor. Ienzo looked over and to his surprise, coordinate points appeared on the screen, revealing an unmarked location.

"Is that?" He asked, which the Sage-King nodded. "Yes. As you can see, we now have the precise coordinates to where Kairi and Naminé are."

"Do you believe they might be in the world Riku and King Mickey informed us of." Ienzo asked, remembering what they said to them before they left. "I believe it was called Hueco Mundo."

"I cannot be certain; however it is the most likely case." Ansem said. "Which means there might be perils that even we are not fully aware of. If we are to send Naminé over, we must not leave the vessel unguarded."

"And there is no telling if Kairi is not in any danger as well." Ienzo concurred. "However, that means we'll have to send someone over with Naminé's body."

"That would be the pragmatic thing to do." The two looked and saw Vexen walking in.

"Even, where have you been?" Ienzo asked.

"Just exploring the town." He replied. "But back to business, I heard that the vessel is now ready."

"That is correct." Ansem the Wise confirmed. "Now, we are debating on who to send to protect Kairi and Naminé."

"That is an easy one." Vexen then walked over to the vessel, looking at it with a determined expression. "I will go and deliver the vessel."

Ansem and Ienzo were surprised at their comrade's declaration. "Even, are you sure?" The latter asked, concerned.

"Don't forget that I still have access to my abilities as a Nobody." Vexen stated. "That includes usage of the Corridor of Darkness. Should any dangers occur, I can use my powers to lead them back here."

Though what he said was true, Ansem still asked, "Remember Even, the dangers are unlike any we have ever faced. You don't know what you will find."

"Which is all the more reason I should go." Vexen said. "If the dangers are truly great then I must use everything within my power to fulfill your wishes and see that Naminé is restored. Otherwise, everything we've done would have been for nothing."

Ansem the Wise stood silent for a moment, then gave a small smile. "You appear to be more Human than you like to believe. However, you are right." Ansem then turned Ienzo. "Prepare the vessel for transport. Once we have traced that coordinates, activate the transporter and send Even and Naminé to its location."

"Yes sir." Ienzo nodded, though looked over at his senior one last time. "Be careful Even. Remember, there is no telling what you will find."

Vexen nodded. "Don't worry. I wasn't planning on going alone." As if on cue, Ansem and Ienzo turned to see someone else entering the room.

"It's you!" Ienzo gasped while Ansem narrowed his eyes, at the figure standing with a neutral expression.

"Isa!"

* * *

Ulquiorra had fired a Cero Oscuras at Ichigo, the attack blasting straight through his chest. Orihime widened her eyes even more in horror as she saw a hole pierced into Ichigo's chest. Seeing there was no life left in him, Ulquiorra loosened his tail's grip around Ichigo's neck, dropping him headfirst off the pillar.

Everyone stared at the horror of the sight. Kairi's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth, tears slowly forming. Nel also stared with widen eyes, only the tears were freefalling as her body slowly shook. Uryū clenched his teeth in a mixture of anger and fear. Grimmjow was just the same, but his anger was more directed towards the one who did it. Sora was petrified as he could only stare at the scene with wide eyes. Orihime on the other hand, looked as if her entire world was destroyed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Orihime screamed at the top of her lungs. She started running towards Ichigo's falling body before he hits the ground. She quickly called Shun Shun Rikka, catching Ichigo safely. As she got close to Ichigo, Ulquiorra appeared in front of her. Orihime looked at the Espada in fear.

"It's useless." Ulquiorra said, apathetically. "Even if you could reach him, it would be a wasted effort on your part. Your powers aren't nearly strong enough to keep him alive."

Orihime looked at Ichigo, who hasn't moved an inch since being blasted by the Cero. "Ichigo…Ichigo!" She said, hoping Ichigo would get up. However, seeing his lifeless eyes dashed all hope from her.

"Orihime." Kairi whispered, tears beginning to fall. Then, she glared daggers at the Espada.

"You should save your energy and forget him." The Fourth Espada said.

"Don't you touch her!" Kairi yelled. Then suddenly, Uryū appeared behind Ulquiorra and fired an arrow at him. Easily, Ulquiorra blocked and destroyed the arrow with his wing. However, Grimmjow, who recovered, used Sonido to strike Ulquiorra with his claws, but he caught it with his tail and tossed Grimmjow away. The Sixth Espada skidded across the sand before stopping, giving Ulquiorra a heated glare.

Meanwhile, Kairi ran over to Orihime. "Come on!" She said as she grabbed her wrist, the two quickly ran towards Ichigo, seeing that Ulquiorra was preoccupied. Grimmjow recovered and continued to attack Ulquiorra with a flurry of rapid swipes, only for the Fourth Espada to effortlessly avoid them before he grabbed both his wrists, stopping the attack. The Sixth Espada gritted his teeth as he tried to yank them away, a futile attempt due to Ulquoirra's immense strength.

Fortunately, Uryū appeared and continued firing his arrows at Ulquiorra, giving Grimmjow the chance to free himself and jump away before the attack struck the Fourth Espada, creating a cloud of smoke and dirt around him. However, the Quincy wasn't done yet as he appeared above Ulquiorra. " _Licht Regen!_ " Uryū fired thousands of arrows at the Fourth Espada, creating more dust clouds as Ulquiorra didn't even move so much as an inch from his spot. Uryū landed a few feet away as the smoke slowly started to clear. His eyes narrowed as he saw Ulquiorra slowly walking out of the smoke without so much as a scratch on him.

"How unexpected." The Fourth Espada said. "I studied everyone closely allied with Ichigo Kurosaki, friend and foe alike. Grimmjow is one thing, but of all who surrounded him, I've presumed that you were the one that was the calmest."

"I am calm." Uryū said. "As a result, I have the best chance of stopping you."

"I'm calm too." Grimmjow said with a smirk. "I told you before that I was gonna tear that form of yours to shreds. Besides," The Sixth Espada gave a look that meant bloody murder. "I warned you what would happen when you killed off some else's prey! With Ichigo dead, you're all I have left." Ulquiorra didn't say anything but glared at the Quincy and traitorous Espada.

Kairi and Orihime continued running towards Ichigo, the latter hoping she wasn't too late to save him. "Ichigo!" She shouted, surrounding him in an orange barrier.

"We're here!" The red-haired girl shouted as they came to a stop. They looked at Ichigo and gasped, seeing that he was completely lifeless.

"No." Kairi whispered as she turned to Orihime, who didn't even scream or cry, just stood there, staring.

"Kairi! Orihime!" Sora shouted, getting their attention. Kairi and Orihime looked at Sora running towards them. "How's…?" Sora stopped when he saw Ichigo's condition closer, petrified at the sight.

Uryū fired two arrows at Ulquiorra, only for them to be destroyed by Ulquiorra's wings. Grimmjow contributed by firing multiple Balas at him. Both combatants continued firing at Ulquiorra, using _Hirenkyaku_ and Sonido after firing each arrow and Bala, appearing at all directions. However, Ulquiorra, with little effort, blocked each attack with his wings.

"Dammit! Those wings are a real pain in the ass!" Grimmjow cursed in annoyance, before seeing Uryū giving a pensive expression, seeing that their attacks were making no results. "Hey four-eyes! You get anything!?"

Ignoring what the Arrancar said to him, Uryū replied. "It's just as I feared. Those wings keep on deflecting if we attack from a distance. But if we get any closer, it'll give him the advantage to attack us."

Grimmjow just grunted. "So now what do we do?"

"Simple. We have to buy Orihime some time so she can heal Ichigo." Uryū said. "We have to keep this guy engaged."

The Arrancar smirked. "Good plan then."

Uryū fired more at the ground around the Espada, creating a cloud of smoke. Seeing his chance, Grimmjow jumped into the smoke, thinking he could blindside Ulquiorra. However, his eyes widen when a hand grabbed his face, then threw him back at Uryū, causing him to jump out of the way. He prepared to fire another arrow when he saw Ulquiorra gone.

"Where is he?!" Uryū shouted. Then Ulquiorra appeared next to him, however, before he could hit Uryū with his wing, Nel appeared and grabbed his wing.

"Nel!" He exclaimed as she gnashed her teeth, using her remaining strength to keep his wings at bay. Ulquiorra responded by hitting her in the face with his tail. Nel screamed as she was sent crashing into one of the pillars that was destroyed from Ulquiorra's fight with Ichigo.

Nel sat up, breathing heavily due to her injury not having been fully healed. Uryū appeared next to her. "Nel, are you okay?"

The former Espada gave a small smile. "Unfortunately, my injury still hasn't been fully healed." She also noticed Uryū panting from the energy he used in his attacks. "And I see you are starting to feel fatigue."

Uryū nodded. "There is no surprise that his strength is overwhelming." Uryū said, before readying his bow. "We just need to keep our distance and find another way to attack him. He must have an opening somewhere."

"Then we'll have to work together." Nel said as she slowly got up. "Ulquiorra is more powerful than I had anticipated. We need to remain on guard and be aware of his every move."

"Is that all you two have?" Ulquiorra said, appearing in the hole of the pillar they were in. They narrowed their eyes as they glared at him. "When you first began attacking me, I've observed exactly how fast you were. You're merely human and it seems to limit your capabilities." He said to Uryū before looking at Nel. "I have also observed you and I have realized that your spiritual pressure is merely a fragment of your former powers. You can hardly do any damage to me at your current state."

"Oh we're just getting started!" Uryū said when suddenly, Grimmjow appeared behind Ulquiorra and fired a Cero at him. The blast destroyed the entire pillar, while Uryū and Nel barely dodged the attack.

"Hey, how about a little warning next time!" Uryū barked at the Sixth Espada.

"Shut up! I saw an opening and took it. Besides, you guys made it out in time." Grimmjow shot back.

Nel shook her head, sighing. "Listen, we need to prepare ourselves. Ulquiorra is sure to have survived that Cero…"

"It would appear that neither have embraced true despair yourselves." They saw Ulquiorra standing in the same spot he was in. Not having been harmed by the Cero at all. "Form whatever plan you want. It wouldn't make any difference."

Grimmjow clenched his teeth. He couldn't take this anymore. No matter what, he was determined to prove his superiority. Nel saw his expression and grew weary. "Grimmjow wait! We need a plan of attack!"

"I have a plan: Attack!" Grimmjow charged straight at Ulquiorra, only for him to use Sonido and appear behind him. Before he could stab him, Grimmjow anticipated this and used Sondio to get the drop of him. However, The Fourth Espada smacked him with his tail, sending him crashing down. He then went to stab him but was blocked by Nel's Zanpakutō. He merely tossed her to the side, but she arranged herself to land safely on the sand. Uryū took advantage to fire several arrows at the Fourth Espada, but he destroyed them with one flap of his wing.

With a roar, Grimmjow dashed forward rearing his fist while Nel simultaneously flew to the other rearing her Zanpakutō to attack. Ulquiorra stopped them both by grabbing Grimmjow's fist and Nel's wrist, throwing them away once more.

As they landed safetly, Nel raised her head at Grimmjow. "Grimmjow, fire a Cero at me!"

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow when he remembered her special ability. "Fine!" He fired a Cero that Nel absorbed through Cero Doble, then fired it at Ulquiorra. With just a raise of a hand, Ulquiorra dispelled the Cero attack. Before he could strike her, he felt his shoulder get pierced by Seele Schneider. Uryū smirked that his attack hit but the Fourth Espada just took out the arrow, not having been daunted at all.

Narrowing his eyes at him, Grimmjow fired another Gran Rey Cero. Ulquiorra saw it and fired his Cero Oscuras. Both Cero collided with each other, seemingly evenly matched. Unfortunately, the black Cero overpowered the Gran Rey Cero and flew to Grimmjow. He dodged in time as Nel appeared to attack Ulquiorra from behind. He used Sonido to appear below them, preparing to fire another Cero Oscuras. Until…

He looked down and saw his legs were binded to the ground with dense reishi. Then, he saw a pentagon-shaped seal activating. He turned and saw Uryū having planted five Seele Schneider to the ground.

"Thanks for the help Nel." Uryū thanked. "That was the time I needed to power up." He then activated Sprenger, which engulfed Ulquiorra in a blast of spirit energy. However, he neither screamed nor wailed from the force of the attack. From the inside, Ulquiorra just looked around as if it was an irritation to his skin.

"Enough!" With a burst of spirit energy, Ulquiorra dispelled the attack. Everyone looked in shock at the power he had emitted.

"He stopped…the Sprenger." Uryū breathed in disbelief.

Nel prepared to attack again when she felt Ulquiorra appear next to her. She made to swing her sword, but Ulquiorra caught her arm, gripping it tightly that caused her to drop her sword. She then felt everything stand still when…

 _SNAP_

Ulquiorra twisted her arm at the opposite direction, breaking every bone there. Uryū and Grimmjow felt as if time froze. Nel's eyes widened when her arm went limp. Seeing Ulquiorra, she prepared to use Sonido to get away, but he used his tail to stab her right leg, breaking the bone for that leg and caused her to fall.

"NO! NEL!" Uryū cried.

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow yelled as he charged once more.

"Grimmjow, no!" Nel cried from where she laid. Grimmjow's eyes widened when Ulquiorra appeared behind him, punching him hard in the back. Grimmjow screamed as he felt his spine break in half.

Uryū sweated as he saw Nel and Grimmjow go down once more. Seeing he had no other choice, Uryū prepared to draw out Seele Schneider once more. But in a blink of an eye, Ulquiorra appeared beside Uryū and grabbed his arm. Ulquiorra looked at the weapon and said, "Is this supposed to harm me?" Uryū looked at the Fourth Espada with widen eyes.

* * *

As the fight went on, Orihime fell to her knees as tears began streaming down her face, looking at Ichigo and seeing that his condition hasn't improved one bit since she began healing him.

"Ichigo…" Sora whispered, not wanting to accept this. "He can't be…"

Kairi sniffed as she looked at her friend with sorrow. "I'm sorry Sora."

Sora shut his eyes and clenched his fist tightly. This was just like when he thought he had lost Goofy in Hollow Bastion nearly a year ago. Or in his recent journey, when he saw Eugene, Anna, Will Turner, and Kairi die in front. Seeing people he cared for die was a feeling he hated the most. While they were all revived through a miracle, he didn't see any chance of that happening now. Orihime's powers was the closest, but seeing that having no effect…

He turned to Orihime, who still looked at Ichigo, devastated.

" _Ichigo._ " Orihime thought with sorrow. " _What can I do? Somehow, I thought everything would be alright. I thought Ichigo was so strong that he was unbeatable. That, he was going to win. I was blinded by my faith in him and didn't realize that I was wrong._ " She grabbed her head, not knowing what to do. " _What should I do? Tell me Ichigo! WHAT SHOULD I DO?!_ "

Kairi looked at Orihime's expression. Sure enough, she knew exactly what she was thinking of. All scared and confused, with hope leaving her body. Kairi was about to say something when…

"Orihime…" Sora asked with a hint of anger in his voice, catching Orihime's attention. Orihime looked at Sora, and gasped when she saw that he was extremely angry. "Stay with Kairi. I'll be back." He said in a soft voice.

Orihime gasped. Was Sora really planning to fight Ulquiorra? No, he couldn't! Just then, the three look to their side saw and Uryū skid past them. His arm was severely burnt and broken.

"Uryū!" Orihime shouted, worried.

"There's nothing to worry about." Uryū said. "I'm going to stay in this fight no matter what!" Orihime looked at Uryū with a worried expression as he drew another Seele Schneider. "I'll cover you. Do what you can to help Ichigo. And while you're at it, heal Nel and Grimmjow!"

They looked and saw the two Arrancar laying defeated on the ground, badly wounded. Seeing the sight of his friends in pain, caused Sora to gnash his teeth in fury as he summoned his Kingdom Key Keyblade.

Uryū charged towards the Fourth Espada, only to be hit by Ulquiorra's wing, sending him rolling across the sand. As Uryū struggled to get to his feet, Ulquiorra slapped him around with his tail three times. Orihime and Kairi looked in fear, the former using her Shun-Shun Rikka to make a shield in front of Uryū to protect him.

" _What I can do?!_ " Orihime thought, watching her shield get destroyed. " _You can't leave me alone like this! I don't know how to fight this opponent. He's too strong! I need help!"_

"Orihime!" Kairi cried.

Orihime shut her eyes, "Someone, please help me!"

" _ **Shotlock: King of Hearts!**_ "

" _ **Shotlock: Blades of the Round!**_ "

Before anyone could blink, Ulquiorra was bombarded by heart-shaped and spinning blade projectiles. The force of these attacks were powerful enough to send him flying back a few feet. Orihime and Uryū looked at where the attack came from with widen eyes. They saw Sora using Synch Blade to wield Kingdom Key and Starlight.

"S-Sora…" Orihime said, covering her mouth.

"He can…use two Keyblades?" Uryū asked since this was first time seeing Sora use both.

Kairi however smiled with relief and joy. "Sora…I'm glad."

Sora placed his Keyblades together. " _ **Formchange: Strike Form!**_ " He shouted, as his clothes turned red and his Keyblade took the form of a spear. " _ **Highwind!**_ "

Orihime and Uryū looked at Sora with widen eyes as they witnessed his Formchange power. "Leave him to me." He said, surprising everyone except Kairi.

"But Sora, you can't do this!" Orihime pleaded, not wanting to see Sora die as well. "If you fight Ulquiorra, you'll…!" Before she could finish, she felt Kairi place a hand over her shoulder, the redhead giving her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, Sora can handle everything from here." She said, turning to see Sora walking towards Ulquiorra. "For now, you should heal the others. We'll try and help Ichigo while we're at it."

Orihime still felt unsure about this. After what happened to Ichigo, she wasn't sure if she could ever believe in other people again. However, after what Kairi had said to her, she gathered up enough courage she had for Sora.

" _Sora please. Help us!"_ She pleaded.

Recovering from the onslaught, Ulquiorra simply stood up and saw Sora standing before him, wielding a spear. The two simply stared at each other, expecting the other one to make the first move. After a few moments of nothing but silence Ulquiorra finally broke it by speaking.

"It seems that I underestimated your tenacity." He commented. "I take it this is the Keyblade transformation power you used to defeat the Soul Reaper Captain."

Sora said nothing, merely looking at Ulquiorra with narrowed eyes. This peaked Ulquiorra's curiosity. "Regardless of what weapon you wield, it wouldn't make a difference. Surely after what you saw me do to Ichigo Kurosaki, you cannot believe that you would be capable of defeating me."

"Shut up." Sora whispered.

"Hmm?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I said shut up!" Sora shouted. "I've had it with you! After everything you've done, to Orihime and to Ichigo! I will…defeat you!"

Unlike Grimmjow or Nnoitra, Ulquiorra was not bothered by such petty comments. Instead he shook his head. What was it with Humans and their belief in relying on biased hope or faith? Did they have something that made them so unpredictable? He remembered Ichigo's words earlier of how he was becoming more human. What a foolish statement. Humanity and heart were nothing but trash, and he was going to prove that once and for all.

"It would seem that you are much like Ichigo Kurosaki." Ulquiorra stated. "Very well then, you shall know the depths of true despair just as he did."

He used Sonido to close in on Sora, but then Sora disappeared and reappeared behind the Espada, slashing him across his face. Although the blow made him stagger due to being caught off guard, it was not enough to do anything significant.

However, it only left a cut mark on his cheek. Casting a bored look, Ulquiorra faced Sora. "All that for a drop of blood?"

"I'm just getting started." Sora taunted. Ignoring it, Ulquiorra dashed forward, rearing his claw, hoping to run Sora through. Only for the Keyblade Wielder to disappear and reappear behind him in an instant.

" _He's fast!"_ Uryū thought, seeing what just happened.

"S _pear Rush!_ " Ulquiorra turned around only to see Sora thrust his spear forward. He made to block it; however, he was soon attacked by a barrage of spears, emanating from the spear's attacks. The attack pushed Ulquiorra back, but he regained himself and quickly took flight. Sora lifted his spear and attacked Ulquiorra several more times, until he made to hit Sora with his wing, but Sora dodged it. The Espada looked up and saw the Keyblade Wielder above him.

" _Spear Rain_!" Several spears then appeared above Ulquiorra and rain down upon him, hitting the Espada but Ulquiorra quickly rebounded. Ulquiorra launched himself towards Sora, trying to hit him. Sora dodged Ulquiorra's attack and disappeared.

"Waterza!" Sora shot a large ball of water at the Espada, hitting him and sending him falling into the ground. Ulquiorra saw himself soaking wet, but merely flapped his wings, drying them and flying high in the air once more.

" _ **Shotlock: Blade Storm!**_ " Ulquiorra turn and saw Sora waving the Highwind Spear, launching a series of spinning wind blades at him. The Espada closed his wings to shield himself, but the force of the attack pushed him back a few feet into one of the destroyed pillars. Sora landed on his feet as Ulquiorra got back up and dusted himself off.

" _He's grown more powerful_." Ulquiorra thought, seeing Sora's increase in power. " _That technique of his increases the physical power of his attacks as well as his overall speed and reaction time. It is almost akin to that of Hollowification. But it's almost as if he is being fueled by a new drive._ " Ulquiorra appeared using Sonido and attacked Sora, but he disappeared. Ulquiorra turned around and saw him ready to attack.

"Take this!" Sora shouted as he launched a barrage of spear jabs at the Espada, pushing him back until he broke through the wall of the pillar. Ulquiorra used his wings to defend himself but Sora roared as he continued his onslaught. However, the Espada's eyes perked when he saw a small dark aura emanating from Sora. What was that?

* * *

Nel clenched her teeth as hard as she could, clutching her now limp arm that was broken all over. Using what remained of her strength, she slowly crawled as she tried to get over to where Grimmjow laid. She couldn't help but think of Ulquiorra and his true power. Never in her life had she seen something like this. Even if she was in her prime, she still wouldn't be able to keep up with him. Was this Segunda Etapa more powerful than she had originally thought.

Then, there was Sora, currently locked in battle with the Fourth Espada. While she did not doubt Sora's strength, she knew that Ulquiorra would be too much for him to handle. She needed to get healed fast.

" _I must find Orihime!"_ Nel thought, frantically. _"Once she has healed my injuries, I will help you Sora. Please, wait for me!"_

"Nel!" She looked up and saw Kairi running to her. She gasped when she saw Nel twisted arm, the joint turning black and blue.

"Kairi." Nel said, looking up. Kairi recovered herself before picking Nel up, holding her functional arm over her shoulder. She staggered a bit due to Nel being taller and heavier than her but found the strength to slowly carry her.

"Come with me. I'll take you and Grimmjow to Orihime." Kairi said. "She's healing Uryū and Ichigo. With my help, we should have all of you healed up for the battle."

Nel frowned as she looked down, feeling regret for not having done much in the battle. And now Sora was risking his life once more, fighting for them.

"Please, help Sora." Nel whispered.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Sora will win. But the sooner we heal you and others, the better his chances are." Kairi assured. However, she looked on to the battle, seeing Sora and Ulquiorra parring blows. As she did, she couldn't help but sense a tiny amount of darkness.

And it was growing.

* * *

Ulquiorra was moving side to side, dodging all of Sora's jabs from his Highwind spear. Sora narrowed his eyes as he quickened the speed of his attacks, causing Ulquiorra to hit his back against the pillar. In a split second, he used Sonido to avoid Sora's spear thrust, creating a hole in the wall. However, with quick speed, Sora appeared behind Ulquiorra, to his surprise. The Espada used Sonido again but Sora used Airstep to appear before him. The process repeated itself a few times, with Ulquiorra having enough and turning to pierce Sora's heart, only for Sora to appear behind him, thrusting Highwind forward.

With quick reflexes, Ulquiorra stopped the attack by grabbing the spear, though the hand he used started bleeding.

" _His speed has also begun to increase._ " Ulquiorra mentally noted. " _Something isn't right. When we fought last, he could barely keep up with me and that was through Ichigo's help. And now his attack have also become more powerful. It's as if something is causing this new increase in power._ " Ulquiorra then noticed the dark aura surrounding Sora becoming more noticeable. Did that have something to do with his increase in strength. If so, then how? The first time he saw this was when he killed Ichigo…

Suddenly Ulquiorra heard Sora roar as he grabbed the Highwind spear with both hands. Before he could do anything, Sora used all his strength to push him and smashed him onto Las Noches' dome. The sensation of smacking the dome was annoying to him but not painful. Sora did not let up as he raised his spear to smack it into the ground again, using Spear Rush to unleash a barrage of spears to attack, but Ulquiorra pushed himself off the ground. He went in to kick Sora, but he raised his spear to block the attack, the collision releasing a small burst of darkness.

"Tell me," the Fourth Espada said. "How did it feel to see me kill Ichigo Kurosaki? Did it make you feel any form of anger? Or hatred!?"

"I am angry." Sora said. "And I don't care about anything else. All I care about is beating you to the ground for hurting my friends."

"To the extent of launching a suicidal attack on me?" Ulquiorra retorted.

"It's better than letting you hurt the people I care about." Sora said. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect them." Sora narrowed his eyes as he said. "Even if it means getting through you."

Ulquiorra lashed out from where Sora stood, but he used Airstep once more, his claw hitting nothing but air. He began looking around to see where Sora was hiding. He got his answer when large ball of fire slammed into his face. But this time something was different. This time the magic attack felt stronger. Though it was only by a small percent, it was still stronger than it initially was. Ulquiorra frowned as he pondered this. What was going on?

* * *

Meanwhile, Orihime had used Shun Shun Rikka to begin healing Uryū, Nel, and Grimmjow. Kairi was also using her healing magic to hasten the process though it would take some time. Ichigo was still healing, though was in a safe distance from them. Orihime looked back to see how Ichigo was progressing, but so far, nothing changed. Was he truly gone?

"Orihime," Kairi said, getting her attention. "Ichigo will be alright. But you need to focus on healing the others.

"Kairi's right." Uryū said gently but firmly. "You can focus on healing Ichigo later. Right now, we need you to heal us."

"But," Orihime started to say. She was trying her best to fight the tears that were leaking from her face.

"Sora is still capable of fighting on his own, but even he has his limits." Nel said. "You are the only capable of helping us recover faster to join the battle."

"They're right. Right now we need all the strength we can get." Kairi said, before growing soft. "Trust me, when they are finished, we can help save Ichigo. I'm sure your powers can do it."

Being unable to get any words out, Orihime smiled softly as she refocused on healing the other three. As she did, Orihime also sensed how Sora and Ulquiorra's battle was going, silently praying with all her heart for Sora to be alright.

* * *

"This is pointless," Ulquiorra said as he knocked Sora away with his wing, sending him crashing to a pillar. Only for Sora to quickly land on his feet, though he began panting slightly from the force of the attack. As he floated in the air, Ulquiorra said. "Your actions are nothing more than a foolish waste of time. Though you possess otherworldly powers that I have recently witnessed, the difference in our power is still as great as Heaven and Earth. No matter what you do, you will never be my equal."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened when Sora raised Highwind high above him. " _ **Shotlock-**_ "

"I told you it's useless." Ulquiorra shouted, showing emotion for the first time. He made to strike but Sora caught his claw between his spear. Smirking, he fired an orb of lightning that struck him in the face. Not finished yet, Sora launched a volley of ice, water, wind, and fire orbs at Ulquiorra, who flew around, dodging every attack. He soon found himself becoming irritated. Was Sora merely mocking him? Or did he truly believe he could win? His eyes then landed on Orihime and Kairi, who were healing Grimmjow, Nelliel, and the Quincy.

" _Was he merely stalling for time so that those women could heal their wounds?_ " Ulquiorra realized. He prepared to move forward when something had grabbed his tail. Scoffing at Sora's pathetic attempt at stopping him, Ulquiorra floated with his wings and swung his tail, trying to shake Sora off.

Suddenly, Sora hardened his grip and yanked him forward. "Your mine!" He yelled as he threw Ulquiorra and slammed him hard on the ground. There, he felt it. Sora's strength was more powerful than his previous attacks. He looked and saw the dark aura becoming more potent with each second. Was Sora somehow becoming stronger? How? Did this his strength increase with rage? Or was it something else?

Ulquiorra stood up and rubbed his neck, stretching it. "You seem to have developed your power in a short amount of time. You can keep up with me better than before. However, you cannot hurt me."

Sora frowned as raised Highwind again. "That was just a warmup." With that, his energy began surging.

"Do you really think that your tricks will save you?" Ulquiorra asked him. "Even with your powers you lack any offensive capabilities."

"Then let me take this to the next level. _**Storm Flag!**_ " Then, the Highwind Spear twirled around and transformed into a large red flag.

Seeing this new transformation got Ulquiorra's attention. However, regardless of what tricks he had, he would make sure to destroy them till there was nothing.

"Interesting. You can also perform a second transformation for your weapon. I believe it is similar to a Soul Reapers Bankai." Ulquiorra said. "Try as you might, the results won't change." At first, there was nothing but silence. Ulquiorra knew that Sora would not run away from this fight. So what was he doing?

" _Storm Spinner!_ " The next thing Ulquiorra knew, Sora appeared and swung his flag to strike him. Though he dodge it, his eyes widened when his forearm was nicked several time. How? He was sure he sure he dodged it. As Sora unleased an onslaught of attacks, Ulquiorra avoided them but saw a red streak left from each attack, which inflicted damage on him. So that was it. Sora was moving the flag around telekinetically, forming a red streak that dealt damage to him from the wind pressure.

While Ulquiorra did not need to worry about that due to Hierro, he could see that Sora was trying to wear him down

" _Impressive"_ Ulquiorra thought. " _Since he could not wound me directly, he decided other ways to do so. A resourceful method, but still futile."_

With that, Ulquiorra flared up his reiatsu, which caused the others tremble and shake at his power. He saw this and yet, Sora remained unaffected.

"I'm not scared of you, Ulquiorra." Sora said, determinedly. "I told you before that I was going to beat you. No matter what!"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and said, "I see. It appears that you and Ichigo do have something in common." He reopened his eyes, giving Sora in fierce glare. "You are both persistent. However, you are merely delaying the inevitable. Soon, you will share in his fate."

"That won't happen!" Sora shouted as he charged towards Ulquiorra. The Fourth Espada appeared in front of him in an instant and kneed Sora in gut. He then kicked Sora in the face, sending him flying. Ulquiorra appeared above Sora and hit him with his wing, sending him the ground. Ulquiorra quickly descend to the ground, trying hit a fatal blow but Sora recovered and raised his flag.

"Thundaza!" He shouted as several rays of lightning surrounded Ulquiorra, then merged together and formed a large lightning bolt that engulfed the Espada. He flapped his wings to counter the attack, then he looked over and saw the trio being healed by the two women, Grimmjow even regaining consciousness. If she succeeded then, they would no doubt enter this fight. Ulquiorra was not thoroughly concerned, but Sora was proving to be a distraction.

"Tell me," Ulquiorra began. "Would you begin to hate me after I dispose of your precious comrades?"

Sora's eyes widened when Ulquiorra flew towards them at high speeds. Orihime panicked while Uryū and Nel readied their weapons. Calmly, Ulquiorra raised his fingers as if to fire a Cero Oscuras at them.

"No!" Sora roared. "Leave them alone!" Sora quickly appeared in front of Ulquiorra and unleashed a combo strike of attacks from his Storm Flag. Ulquiorra was growing accustom to the attack and avoid the red streaks. However, Sora then thrusted his flag forward, the tip glowing.

" _Cyclone!_ " The flag spun around rapidly, unleashing a torrent of wind that struck the Espada hard. Ulquiorra staggered as he withstood the high wind pressure. He then recovered and hit Sora, sending him flying further away. Sora gritted his teeth as he quickly recovered.

"How many times must I repeat myself?" Ulquiorra asked. "You lack power. Just give up. You can't win." Ulquiorra threw a kick towards Sora, only for him to stop his kick by catching his foot with his bare hand. Despite force of the kick pushing back many pieces of debris, Sora stood unfazed, gripping Ulquiorra's foot harder. Upon closer inspection, the dark aura began to form around his hand, forming a claw.

"How can I protect anyone if I gave up now!?" Sora narrowed his eyes at Ulquiorra in frustration. Truthfully, he didn't know what else would give him an advantage against Ulquiorra. But he didn't have the time to begin doubting himself now. Especially when all his friends' lives were at stake. Uryū and Nel had risked so much to fight Ulquiorra off and nearly got themselves killed. Though he and Grimmjow were anything but friends, he also put his life on the line for them. Kairi was also hear to, and he wasn't planning on losing her again. Not a chance! Then, there was Orihime? She really cared about Ichigo and had to watch him get killed? And Sora had not been able to do anything to stop it? What kind of person was he to allow these things to go unpunished?

His attention was caught when Ulquiorra suddenly went backwards, creating some distance between them. Before Sora could figure out what was going on, Ulquiorra brought his hands close together and made a circle as his finger connect, channeling green energy between his hands. He then stretched his hands to the side, forming what seemed to be a green energy javelin like his Luz de la Luna. However, it was a lot bigger than before.

" _Lanza del Relámpago_!" Ulquiorra said as he grasped the javelin in one hand. "Don't move. Stay right where you are. If possible, I prefer not to release this in close range."

He aimed the lance at Sora and threw it. Sora saw the attack coming and, as if time moved slow, he barely move aside to dodge it. As it passed him, Sora turned around to see the lance soar over the entire building of Las Noches and land somewhere in the ground. His eye widened when he saw a massive explosion of green energy from where the lance had struck the ground.

"I'll try again. It's still difficult to control," Ulquiorra commented.

The other spectators stared at the sight. Ulquiorra continued to show them how powerful he truly was by every second.

"No! Sora!" Nel yelled, fearful when she saw the devastation of the attack.

"Dammit. I knew Ulquiorra was strong, but I didn't think he'd turn out to be such a beast." Grimmjow cursed, feeling discouraged.

"Orihime, Kairi, you have to hurry now!" Uryū exclaimed, knowing they needed to get back into the battle.

"We're trying. Just give us more time." Kairi said. Orihime gulped as her apprehension was growing by the second. Was Sora really going to die? Was this going to be a repeat of what happened with Ichigo?

Speaking of which, unknown to the others, Ichigo's body was emanating a strange dark aura, with a white substance slowly covering his body.

Back at the battle, Sora had tried to swing Strom Flag around to attack, but Ulquiorra grabbed Sora's flag and threw him to the side. Thinking quickly, Sora was barely able to halt himself in the air.

"Do you see the difference in our power?" Ulquiorra asked Sora. "I could kill you easily as I wished. What is it that drives you? Why are you unable to accept the reality of your situation?"

"Because if I do, then everyone that I care for will die." Sora said softly. Thinking of all his friends that came here to Hueco Mundo. Riku, Terra, Aqua, Ven, Roxas, Lea, Xion, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Then there were also the new friends he made, such as Ichigo, Orihime, Nel, Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, Pesche, Dondochakka, and Gantenbainne. "And as long as I'm still standing, I'll protect everyone with all my heart!"

He flew to Ulquiorra, but the Espada nonchalantly grabbed Sora's flag. However, Sora smirked. He got him.

" _ **Shotlock Max: Flag Rampage!**_ " He waved his flag rapidly, slashing Ulquiorra repeatedly with blades of wind. He raised his wings to defend from the attack but saw that the wind pressure was too powerful. Thinking quickly, he flapped his wings rapidly to counter the attack. Both wind pressure canceled out and sent the two combatants flying a few feet away.

Sora skidded back a few feet, as he began breathing heavily. Ulquiorra also recovered and appeared in front of Sora, tightly wrapping his tail around his neck, picking up him off the ground.

"Sora!" Orihime shouted in worry. Sora grabbed Ulquiorra's tail, trying to relieve some of the pressure but couldn't.

"Even though you're going to die, I must admit that you did well fighting against Nnoitra and myself." Ulquiorra said, tightening his grip. "But you're no different than Ichigo. Your will to fight must stem from this concept you humans call 'heart'. From what I am seeing so far, this heart is more of a burden to you than it is helpful."

"You're wrong!" Sora exclaimed. "A heart isn't a burden to people. In fact, it's the opposite. A heart is what is makes people stronger and carriers what the emotions they feel. I learned in my recent journey that if you fight for something with all your heart, then you can reach new levels of strength and grow from it."

Ulquiorra just looked apathetic at Sora's declaration. "How pathetic. Something that you cannot even see can grant you new levels of strength. In all my life I have never heard of such trash."

"That's because you know nothing about hearts and bonds." Sora said. "When your heart is strong, it can connect with others, and make them apart of their hearts to. I know, because I have become a part of my friends' heart, just like they have become part of mine. My friends are my power."

"Enough!" Ulquiorra said, with a raised voiced. "Hearts. Connections. They mean nothing. In this world, what truly matters is reality. If something is beyond our understanding, then it doesn't exist." He then paused for a moment, then said, "If your 'heart' is reliant on those people, then when they become obliterated, you will be left with nothing."

Understanding what he meant, Sora snapped. "Don't. You. Dare!" Sora then twirled Storm Flag around, generating a large sandstorm.

"Aeroza!" Sora unleashed a large whirlwind of wind that, combined with the sand, formed a sandstorm that took the Espada with him. Ulquiorra spun around from within the sandstorm and was sent flying, but the Espada used his wings to stop himself.

"I'm not done yet." Sora threw Storm Flag at him, striking the Espada until it came back to him, similar to his Strike Raid technique.

Ulquiorra landed on the ground, recovering from Sora's attack. He looked at the Keyblade Wielder charging towards him and pointed his finger at him. "Cero Oscuras!" Ulquiorra fired his black cero at Sora, engulfing him in it and created a huge explosion. The smoke surrounded the area where Sora was standing. Everyone gasped as they saw the devastation of the attack while Ulquiorra looked at the smoke clearing up. When the smoke cleared, Ulquiorra's eyes widened when he saw Sora still standing, without so much as a scratch on him.

" _How? He could not have survived a Cero Oscuras without raising his defenses?_ " Ulquiorra then saw the dark aura finally forming around the outer layer of Sora. Though he still looked the same, his hair had grown spikier and his eyes were moving from blue to red. " _That's it. It's that new aura that has been forming around him._ "

"Get ready Ulquiorra." He saw Sora looking at him with Hollow eyes and whispered in a dark tone, "You want to see true despair. I'll show you."

* * *

Back with the others, Orihime, Nel, and Uryū felt their throats become dry when they saw the darkness surrounding Sora. They also heard his tone and felt apprehension. Grimmjow looked confused while Kairi eyes widened in horror.

"Is that…really Sora?" Nel whispered.

"It is." Uryū confirmed. "But something is wrong here. I can tell is tone and attitude have changed."

"I don't like this." Orihime said sorrowfully. "It's that strange aura. It's making Sora into a different person! I don't know what's happening to him!"

"It's his Rage Form." Everyone looked at Kairi, who shook her head.

"His what?" Grimmjow asked.

"I was afraid something like this would happen." Kairi said with a sigh. "It's a form that Sora turns into when he is consumed by rage. What we're seeing right now is an incomplete version of it."

"A form triggered by rage." Uryū mused. "I see. Watching Ulquiorra kill Ichigo must have slowly caused the transformation to trigger."

Nel looked concerned, then asked. "Kairi, what happens when the form takes its full effect?"

Kairi looked down for a bit, before saying. "While the Rage Form makes increases his abilities drastically, Sora becomes consumed with rage, blindly attacking everything he sees." Kairi gripped her hands. "He will become powerful, but at the cost of his sanity and his life force."

Orihime gasped in horror of the news. "No. We have to stop this!" She made to run, but Grimmjow grabbed her wrist.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you idiot?" Grimmjow berated her. "Go out there and you're gonna get yourself killed."

"Suddenly you care about her." Uryū shot back at him, having learned of how he took Orihime hostage. "You have no right to say that after what you did."

"Shut up!" The Sixth Espada barked. "If she dies then there's no one left who could heal our injuries."

"Enough, both of you." Nel scolded them. "You two need to calm down. Arguing isn't going to help us." She then looked at Orihime softly. "Orihime, I understand your concerns, but if you get involve, you will only get in Sora's way. Think of how he will feel if you died in front of him?"

Orihime thought of it and realized that if she died, she will only make things worse in hastening his transformation. So, what could she do?

"Don't worry." Orihime turned to Kairi, who gave her a determined looked. "As long as Sora doesn't forget who he's fighting for, then he won't give in." She then smiled when another memory came to mind. "This isn't the first time he's handled controlling the darkness."

This certainly confused Orihime. Before she could ask, Kairi then said. "Uryū, Nel, and Grimmjow should be stabled. Now, let's hurry and focus on healing Ichigo."

Orihime looked over at Ichigo's body once more, then frowned at the sight as tears slowly formed. Kairi walked over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Nodding, she wiped her tears as they walked over to Ichigo.

The others watched as they left. All they could do was hope that Orihime could bring him back to life.

* * *

"You will show me true despair." Ulquiorra repeated. "What a foolish statement. I do not know what power you called," Ulquiorra said as he created another Lanza Del Relámpago. "But it does not make any difference."

"Are you kidding?!" Uryū said shocked. "He can fire a technique like that multiple times?!"

Sora smiled at the remark. Ulquiorra noticed this, however, it was not a determined or cocky smile. This one was filled with…malicious in a way.

"We'll see about that." Sora then raised Storm Flag. Ulquiorra charged forward, deciding to stab him through the heart. However, in a flash, Sora moved out of the way. Ulquiorra's eyes widened as he had vanished from his sight.

" _How did he move so fast?"_ He had no time to finish as Sora appeared beside him. Seizing this opportunity, Sora slashed Ulquiorra across the torso with Storm Flag. Ulquiorra reeled backwards, clutching his wound with his free hand while holding onto his javelin. Sora was momentarily stunned. He could feel the power surging through him. It was almost like when Kalgara helped him through his fights with Nnoitra and Tōshirō. But this power was different…and familiar. His thoughts were interrupted when Ulquiorra turned to face him.

Much to Sora's shock, Ulquiorra now had a large gash across his chest, with black blood dripping from the Espada's new wounds. He raised a hand to his chest, wiping some of the blood off. He looked at the hand as the blood slithered down his fingers.

"You have cut me," he said. He looked at Sora. "But don't become overconfident. This does not change a thing."

Sora however smirked. "Then get ready for round 2." Suddenly, Sora saw the wound closing up. "How-"

"My greatest strength does not lay within my attacks, but my ability to regenerate." Ulquiorra explained. "In exchange for immense strength, most Arrancars lose their ability to regenerate at ultra-high speeds. I, alone, am able to regenerate of my body at ultra-high speeds, expect for two areas. Those are my brain and internal organs."

"Is that true?" Uryū asked Grimmjow, who nodded.

"So, if you think that you have won because you can hurt me, you will die." Ulquiorra concluded.

"We'll see about that." Sora dashed forward to release Storm Flag. Ulquiorra gripped his javelin and both clashed their weapons, release dark and light energy from the attack. Both opponents attack each other at a rapid pace, Ulquiorra using his javelin to counter Sora's strikes while a parred all his hits. Sora made sure to avoid being pierced by Lanza Del Relámpago, unleashing another torrent of wind, causing the Espada to step back.

Seeing his chance, Sora appeared in front of Ulquiorra. "Blizzaza!" Spinning Storm Flag, Sora fired a wave of ice crystals that spun all around him, spreading wide and freezing Ulquiorra. This lasted for a short moment before he freed himself, then swung his javelin like a sword at Sora, who tried to slash him, but Ulquiorra used Sonido to appear right above him. He jabbed down with his javelin, but Sora held Storm Flag horizontally, blocked the attack.

Ulquiorra however, raised his fingers and fired a Cero Oscuras point blank in Sora's face.

"Sora!" Nel screamed in fear at what happened to her dear friend.

"Damn it!" Uryū cursed while Grimmjow bears his fangs.

"Oh no…" Orihime cried, covering her mouth, fearing the worst. She had already lost one of her most precious friends. She didn't want to lose another.

Kairi looked with wide eyes as she felt clutched her heart, feeling as if everything was beginning to shatter before her very eyes.

"Now you see. This is reality." Ulquiorra said. "In the end, even your own 'heart' failed to amount to anything."

"You think so?"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "What?"

Once the Cero Oscuras cleared, everyone was greeted to see Sora, who formed a barrier around him in the nick of time. The Reflect spell radiated as it had absorbed the entire power of the dark Cero. Everyone looked at him speechless.

"How?" Orihime asked.

Kairi smiled with relief, happy to see hear fears did not come true.

"Hear, take it back!" Sora declared as he the waved Storm Flag, the Reflect spell release the power back at Ulquiorra, ten times more large and powerful. He raised his to cancel out the attack, but it proved to be more powerful than he thought. Without warning, Ulquiorra was sent crashing through two pillars.

"Nice." Grimmjow smirked. While Nel beamed at the sight of Sora having a spell that works like her Cero Doble.

Down in the sands where he laid, Ulquiorra breathed heavily as he got back to his feet. Blood was coming from his mouth and head. " _I'm still conscious._ " He thought as he looked at the palace, seeing Sora flying towards him.

"Your reflexes are quite impressive." he admitted. "But your fortune ends now."

"Firaza!" Sora used Airstep and twirled his flag around, releasing a small tornado of fire that burned the sand away. Ulquiorra dodged it but was caught off guard when Sora began strike him with an onslaught of attacks. However, rather than leave a red streak, it was now dark.

" _He's getting stronger!_ " Ulquiorra realized. " _That dark aura of his is expanding by the second. I must end this before he becomes too strong for even more to fight."_

Ulquiorra had created another javelin and was trying to slash Sora, "You should feel fortunate to have made it this far. But now it is over!"

He raised the Lanza Del Relámpago, only for it be sliced in half. Ulquiorra saw his lance was split in two, then dissipated into the air. He looked over at Sora, who had an expression of deep anger.

"I will never let you hurt my friends again!" Sora growled. With a loud yell, Sora used Airstep to attack Ulquiorra. He then used Sonido to dodge and counter. Only for Sora to use Airstep once more, countering Ulquiorra. This quickly became a battle of speed. As the two flew all over the place, attacking each other with their weapons, releasing large shockwaves that spread across the field, the sands erupting from the burst of power.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as continued countering Sora's attacks. He hated to admit it, but Sora was becoming more powerful then he thought. If he did not end this battle soon, then perhaps he would actually lose this fight. No! He was determined to not lose this battle. Especially to him of all people.

Sora raised Storm Flag upward and suddenly, Ulquiorra found his body wrapped around by the flag. With Ulquiorra locked and ready, Sora raised Storm Flag past his shoulders, then slammed him down onto the parts of the dome that remained intact, resulting in a deep hole and Ulquiorra plummeting through several layers inside.

Sora entered the hole and slowly descended to where Ulquiorra was. "What was that about 'my heart not amounting to anything'?" he asked Ulquiorra mockingly.

Ulquiorra immediately got back up to his feet. "So, your fighting style isn't just unorthodox, but you have learned to analyze your sourroundings." Ulquiorra said. "But don't think you are anywhere near to winning this battle."

"I know." Sora said as he held out Strom Flag. "This will the last time. I won't stop until you're down for good. You hear me?!"

"Another one of your tricks? I told you it's useless." Ulquiorra then charged straight at Sora, rearing his claws. But Sora raised Storm Flag above his head, spinning it before slamming it to the ground. "This is it! Ultimate Finish!"

With a flash of light, water surrounded the entire ground forming a small dome. When it dissipated, Ulquiorra saw water shooting out and taking the form of large tentacles. The tentacles took notice of Ulquiorra and moved towards him. The Espada quickly maneuvered around each of the tentacles, avoiding getting entangled by one of them. Jumping over one, he ducked as another shot towards him. He sliced it off with his javelin but then another one came from behind and when Ulquiorra tried to stab it, it instead caught the javelin, wrapping around it. Ulquiorra was shocked momentarily, which allowed three tentacles to entangle him. He didn't have time to think as his javelin finally detonated, engulfing him in the explosion.

* * *

From the outside, everyone saw the pillar explode, green spirit energy bursting high in the air.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Grimmjow asked. "What are those two doing?"

"I'm not sure." Uryū replied. "But judging by their attacks, I believe this battle may be reaching its conclusion."

"But what matters is who will be the one standing victorious." Nel stated.

On top another pillar, Sora, now out of his Strike Form, avoided the explosion as he saw Ulquiorra fly out of the smoke. He had expected him to survive the attack, but then he took notice of Ulquiorra panting heavily, blood pouring all over his body. As expected, his regeneration healed those wounds, but he was still panting.

Sora smirked. "I get it now. Your high-speed regeneration is impressive. However, it only heals your physical damage, not lost stamina or fatigue. Your injuries can be healed but it's obvious you're getting tired."

Though Ulquiorra remained stone faced, he slowly began seething as the Keyblade Wielder continued. "How does it feel, Ulquiorra?" Sora mocked his opponent. "You've gone about being more powerful than me, but you haven't been able to bring me down. Having power but not being able to do anything with them…that is true despair."

Ulquiorra's frown deepened as he looked up at Sora. The next thing everyone knew that he had appeared right in front of Sora and grabbed him by the throat. The Keybearer struggled to get out of his grip as he created another lance in his hand.

"Now I end this," He said. However, Sora smirked as he summoned his Kingdom Key and Starlight Keyblades, slicing the tail before Ulquiorra had the chance to run him through. Ulquiorra flew back as his tail regrew. Grabbing his javelin, he swung down on Sora, who crossed his Keyblades, blocking the attack. Ulquiorra repeatedly bashed his lance on Sora's Keyblades to break his defenses. Sora gritted his teeth as he tried to hold his ground, until the last blow finally sent him spinning wildly for a moment. Collecting his thoughts, Sora fired a Firaza, though Ulquiorra knocked it to the side with ease, only to see Sora appearing and slicing his chest. Annoyed, Ulquiorra thrusted his javelin forward repeatedly, as Sora moved his head, swiftly dodging it. He then used Magnet Burst to dragged Ulquiorra towards him and propel him back onto the dome.

" _This is ridiculous._ " Ulquiorra thought to himself. " _How can this boy, this mere human boy, be able to prove me a challenge?"_

"Don't believe you have won yet." He fiercely retorted. "You're still weak!"

"Watch me! I'm gonna win!" Sora declared.

Meanwhile, everyone else was just as surprised as the battle raged on, not knowing the extent of Sora's power.

"I never would have imagined some like him to be so powerful?" Uryū breathed. Though he had just met Sora, he didn't strike him to be such a formidable warrior.

"To think that punk was hiding his full power this whole time. He certainly wasn't this tough when he fought Nnoitra." Grimmjow said, but then smirked. "I just might try taking a shot at him myself."

Nel giggled, then smiled. "Much like Ichigo, Sora is fueled by the motivation to protect his friends. The stronger that drive is, the more powerful he will become."

Kairi smiled as Sora continued battling Ulquiorra on even grounds. Orihime even began smiling for the first time, relieved to see her friend winning. Although, deeper in her mind, she remained cautious, not knowing what was about to happen next.

Sora charged towards the Espada at a high speed. "Now, Sonic Blade!" Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes he tried to avoid his fast attack, win the final move came, he made his move until Sora raised his Starlight. "Stun Impact!" Ulquiorra was struck hard by it, sending him flying back. He soon saw red static coursing through his body, his movements dulled.

"I'm not done yet! Zantetsuken!" Sora charged forward, his Keyblade glowing. Ulquiorra saw this and mustered enough strength to jumped back as he was hit with Sora's attack.

"He jumped so the attack wouldn't hit as hard!" Sora deduced. Ulquiorra flew towards him, trying to grab him by the head. Sora blocked the Espada's hand with his Keyblades but was pushed back. " _Dual Raid!_ " Sora threw both his Keyblades at the Espada, hitting him several times, pushing him back a few feet and caused him to drop to a knee. Sora returned both weapons charged towards Ulquiorra. "Have some more!" Sora hit the Espada with a cross slash attack, causing him to crash into another pillar. Ulquiorra reeled in pain as he saw Sora charging towards him.

"This is for Ichigo!" Sora roared as Ulquiorra stood up. "It's about time that we end this." He said, using Sonido to move toward Sora and charged up a cero. Before Sore could cross his blades, Ulquiorra wrapped both his arms with his tail, preventing movement. "Now, Cero Oscras!" Sora was then engulfed in the black cero as an explosion erupted.

When the smoke started to clear, the others gasped when they saw Sora with bruises, cuts, and burns throughout his body. Sora fell to his knees, his head hanging low.

"No…Sora…" Orihime said as tears began to swell in her eyes. This couldn't be happening again. Kairi covered her mouth, to shocked to form words.

Ulquiorra was breathing heavily as he looked at his work. No matter how strong he was, it didn't matter. He was finished. His work done, he started walking towards Orihime. Kairi snapped herself out and raised her Keyblade as Uryū, Nel, and Grimmjow appeared in front of Orihime. Though they were still injured, they were ready to face the Espada once more.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sora asked, getting the Espada's attention. "We're not done yet! This is between you and me!"

"So you're still alive." Ulquiorra said, looking at Sora. "But it's already over, you have lost. If you plan to continue, you'll die."

Sora glared intensely as he shakily tried to stand. "We'll see about that!"

"Stop!" Orihime shouted, surprising Sora and her friends. She gripped stood up and ran past the others, facing Sora with tears flowing down her face. "Please…please Sora, stop this." She whispered as she looked over at the fallen Ichigo. "I don't want to see any more of my friends die or get hurt…because of me. So please…you don't have to keep fighting."

"Orihime." Kairi whispered as Sora was silent.

"Such emotional words of reason, however it wouldn't help you in this." Ulquiorra said to her. "Everyone you love dearly will die. And you will watch as it happens."

Orihime's eyes widened. Ulquiorra made to advance when he suddenly stopped, sensing that something was off.

"No way." Uryū said with widen eyes.

"I don't believe it." Grimmjow said, baffled.

"Sora…" Orihime said, covering her mouth. Ulquiorra turned around and saw Sora standing up on his feet. His clothes were completely ripped up in many areas. He also had scorch marks on his arms and blood was pouring from his head. Regardless, Sora still stood up, ignoring his injuries.

"Don't worry Orihime, I won't let that happen. Never again." Sora said, the dark aura returning. "While I'm still standing, I'll always fight to protect my friends, no matter what!" Both his Keyblades glowed as Sora dashed towards Ulquiorra at a high speed. He pointed his finger at Sora and fired a Cero Oscuras. As the black Cero flew towards Sora, he causally swatted it away with his Keyblade, dispersing it.

"What?!" Ulquiorra said with widen eyes as the Cero disappeared.

"Now! Ars Arcanum!" The Keyblades all hit Ulquiorra, who was now getting beat down by Sora immense attacks, showing him no mercy. Sora continued attacking as he pushed Ulquiorra's back towards a wall, slamming him against it. Sora continued to pound on him, finally breaking the wall and sending Ulquiorra crashing through it. The attack came to an end, but Sora was not done yet.

"Finally, Ancient Light!" Summoning five columns of crisscrossing light, Ulquiorra saw that he was surrounded. The pillars soon condensed into five large orbs that covered Sora, until he released the attacking, sending dozens of light Keyblades that pummeled Ulquiorra once more, until he finally broke through the other side of the wall, sending him crashing down to the ground. The Espada fell to the floor with blood flying out of his mouth.

Sora stopped and fell to the ground, his Starlight vanishing. Kairi, Orihime, Uryū, Nel, and Grimmjow's eyes widen from what they just saw.

"He did it." Uryū said in disbelief. "He won."

"Well I'll be damned." Grimmjow said, also in disbelief.

"Sora did it." Nel cheered. "He defeated Ulquiorra!"

"Sora, I'm so glad." Kairi breathed with relief. Orihime soon began weeping, but this time out of joy. "It's finally over."

"No, it's not!" Everyone saw Sora, who said those words darkly. The dark aura from before finally returned and covered Sora's outer layer.

Kairi saw him tighten his grip on his Keyblade and walked towards Ulquiorra. "Sora…what are you…"

From where he was, Ulquiorra was on his knees. "Damn it." He said, not being able to move. He then saw Sora appearing before him, pressing his Keyblade at the side of his neck. "You're finished."

Sora saw his eyes and knew what he was planning to do. However, he was not going to stop him. "It would seem that this was my fate. Very well then, finish me off."

Kairi and Orihime gasped as Sora shook with rage. "I can't forgive you, for what you did to Ichigo." Sora told him, a tear falling from his left eye. "He was my friend. And you try to kill Kairi, Orihime, and everyone else too. How can you be so cold!? You're not even sorry for what you did!"

He then raised his Keyblade, ready to thrust. "Goodbye Ulquiorra!"

"NOOOOOO!" Kairi screamed as she ran towards him. "Sora stop, if you do this, you'll lose yourself!"

"Sora, no!" Orihime cried, feeling the same as Kairi. However, unknown to them, the darkness that was surrounding him completely. Then, before Sora could deal the final blow, a large amount of spiritual pressure erupted, stopping all of the action that taking place and caused everyone to look towards Orihime. Standing behind her could not have been Ichigo. The being behind her was pure white with black on its body. Its face was a skull with pointed horns and black lines running down its head to its chin. A long mane of orange hair hung from the back of its head. The gaping hole from Ulquiorra's Cero Oscuras was still there on its chest.

Needless to say, everyone was left speechless at the sight of this being.

"Is that Ichigo?" Uryū asked.

"What the hell is going on!" Grimmjow asked. He knew that Ichigo didn't have something like this during their battle. Nel narrowed her eyes at the sight of this creature. While he had Ichigo's body, she couldn't help by feel apprehension of this being.

"This can't be." Ulquiorra said, turning around to face Ichigo. "You can't be alive. What is that form? Who are you?"

Rather than say anything back, Ichigo opened his right palm and his Zanpakutō flew into his hand. Ichigo grabbed it and with one swing, created a massive shockwave that cracked and lifted the floor behind him, blowing Orihime away.

"Orihime!" Uryū appeared behind her and caught her with his good arm.

Grimmjow was also pushed back, but he recovered in the air. He then saw Nel flying towards him and caught her.

Nel blushed as she looked up at him. "Umm…thank you."

"Tch, save your thanks. It's not like I wanted to save you." Grimmjow retorted, brushing her off.

Meanwhile, Sora skidded on the ground, trying to make sense of this.

" _Something's wrong._ " Sora thought. " _Ichigo didn't have this kind of power before. And his spiritual pressure. It's like something else is controlling him!_ "

"Sora!" He turned to see Kairi being knocked away.

"Kairi, hold on!" Sora then used Airstep and caught Kairi, both landing on the ground together.

The Fourth Espada however, remained unfazed by the display of power. "Did you not hear me?" Ulquiorra asked angrily. "I've asked you to identify yourself."

"RRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The ground began to shake uncontrollably as Ichigo let out a loud and powerful roar, raising his spirit energy to the max.

"It appears to me that you can't understand what I'm saying." Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Ichigo and charged up a Cero. However, to his surprise, Ichigo's horns came forward and charged up a large red Cero. Ulquiorra's eyes widen as the two Ceros clashed, only for the red Cero to overpower his, causing a huge explosion.

Uryū covered Orihime's body as they endured the shockwaves of the explosion. Nel hid behind Grimmjow as he raised his hand to cover himself from the intense blast. Sora held onto Kairi as they tried to prevent themselves from being pushed back.

"Whoa, what happened to Ichigo?" Sora asked, confused on what just happened.

"I don't know." Kairi said. "But whatever it is, I'm not sure if I like this."

Ulquiorra flew out of the inferno, looking at the tower of flames. " _That was undoubtedly a blast from a Cero._ " He thought. " _And it was powerful enough to counter my Cero Oscuras. He may resemble a Hollow, but he can't have the powers. There's no way that a human can discharge a cero."_

His thoughts were cut off when Ichigo appeared behind him, already charging up another Cero. "That's enough!" Ulquiorra shouted as he charged up his own Cero. The two blasts collided again, increasing the flames.

Ulquiorra appeared out of the explosion in disbelief. " _He defused my Cero Oscuras for a second time._ " Then, Ichigo appeared behind the Espada, grabbing his wrist, proceeding to slice off his arm. Ulquiorra widen his eyes as he fell to the ground below. Ichigo let out another roar as he knocked Ulquiorra away.

Uryū, Orihime, Sora, and Kairi looked at what transpired in shock and awe.

"I don't believe it." Orihime said. "He's so powerful! Is that…really Ichigo?!"

"No." They looked and saw Nel and Grimmjow walking over to them. The former grimly said, "I can sense its spiritual pressure. Whatever this being is, it's not Ichigo."

"If it's not Ichigo, then what is it?" Kairi asked. Sora continued to observe this being, which strongly resembled a Hollow. Then he remembered that Ichigo had told him earlier that the technique he had was called Hollowfication, which allowed him to use powers similar to Hollows.

Ulquiorra was breathing heavily as blood was pouring down from where his left arm used to be. He was already badly damaged from his last battle with Sora, now having to face this being before him. He glared at the Hollowified Ichigo as he used high-speed regeneration to grow his arm back.

"He can regrow limbs to?!" Sora shouted. Then again, if he could regrow a tail, then it shouldn't have been a surprise to see him regrow an arm.

"Yes unfortunately." Nel said. "While many Arrancar thought of it as a worthless ability, Ulquiorra did not."

Grimmjow snorted as he to agree with those Arrancar on that remark. Though, he silently admitted that it would have been useful when Tōsen had cut his arm off.

Ulquiorra then looked at Ichigo. "I don't know how you took on that form but be enough of an advantage. You saw what happened when you tore off my arm. I was able to regenerate it quite easily. And as I told Sora, defeating me will be impossible. As you're about to discover." Ulquiorra created Lanza Del Relámpago.

Ulquiorra grabbed the weapon and aimed it towards Ichigo, throwing the lance towards him, who dodged it by moving his head to the side, the lance creating a giant explosion and extinguished the flames that were made earlier as well as destroying the pillars.

Everyone tried to embrace the blast while Ulquiorra sighed as he then created another lance in his hand, as he kept his eyes on Ichigo, only for him to disappear, reappearing behind Ulquiorra in an instant.

" _What?!_ " Ulquiorra thought as he looked behind him with widen eyes. " _He slipped completely pass my Pesquisa. And that wasn't a Flash Step he just did now. That was a Sonido._ " Ichigo then swung his sword at Ulquiorra and pushed him back, destroying the bottom of the last pillar that was left standing. Ulquiorra held his lance out as he slid across the ground, then he looked up and spotted Ichigo on the top of the pillar. He quickly rebounded and flew upwards. Then. Ichigo appeared behind Ulquiorra and grabbed him by his head and began dragging him by the side of the pillar, tracing it up the top.

Ulquiorra appeared on the other side of the pillar, looking for Ichigo. In a flash, Ichigo appeared and charged towards him. Ulquiorra spun his lance around and prepared to block but was knocked to the ground by Ichigo's Zanpakutō.

Uryū looked at what is happening along with everyone with widen eyes. "I can't believe how fast he's moving." Uryū said.

"I know. Even my eyes are incapable of completely following their movements." Nel admitted.

"Ichigo." Orihime said worried.

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. Like Ulquiorra, he also noticed those attacks of Ichigo's were too much like a Hollows. It was nothing like the Hollowfication he used during their fight. What was going on?

The two combatants continued to clash weapons with Ichigo getting the better of the exchange, pushing Ulquiorra back. "Come back here!" He ordered as he prepared another Cero, only for Ichigo to kick him into a pillar, causing a misfire that destroyed the top. Ulquiorra slid on the ground as he looked up and saw Ichigo picking up a large piece of debris with one hand and threw it at Ulquiorra.

"Am I supposed to be intimidated because you can throw something at me? Nice try." Ulquiorra said as he destroyed the boulder with his lance. However, Ichigo appeared with his Zanpakutō raised, trying to him down, but the Espada jumped back to dodge. Ulquiorra tried to throw his lance again but Ichigo appeared in front of him and grabbed the weapon with his hand.

" _Impossible! With his bare hand?!_ " Ichigo then destroyed the weapon, causing a huge explosion. As the smoke cleared, Ulquiorra's eyes widen as Ichigo swung his sword and cut him down, one of his horns flying off.

Sora, Uryū, Orhime, Kairi, Nel, and Grimmjow looked on in shocked as Ulquiorra fell to the ground.

"Is it over?" Uryū asked.

"Yes. He did it." Nel confirmed.

Ulquiorra glared up at Ichigo. "Damn it all." He cursed. "I never thought it was possible. First being defeated by Sora and now to be defeated once more by a Hollowified human, it's completely ludicrous."

Sora sighed in relief, glad that it was over. However, he saw Ichigo forcefully put his foot on Ulquiorra's head and began charging up a Cero. "Ichigo! What's he…"

"I should've have known there'd be no mercy. So typical of a hollow. Go ahead. After all, I've lost to you. My life no longer has any meaning. Do it."

Sora watched the exchange and suddenly had a quick flash to when he brought Ulquiorra down.

* * *

" _I can't forgive you, for what you did to Ichigo."_ Sora told him, a tear falling from his left eye. _"He was my friend. And you try to kill Kairi, Orihime, and everyone else too. How can you be so cold!? You're not even sorry for what you did!"_

He then raised his Keyblade, ready to thrust. _"Goodbye Ulquiorra!"_

" _NOOOOOO!"_ Kairi screamed as she ran towards him. _"Sora stop, if you do this, you'll lose yourself!_ "

* * *

Sora quickly realized what he would have done to Ulquiorra and remembered Kairi's words. True he wanted to make Ulquiorra pay for what he did to Ichigo, but now that the anger he was feeling was out of him, he saw things differently.

" _Kairi was right. If I done that then I could have lost myself, just like what's happening to Ichigo. Lost in my own rage and hate. I can't let this happen to him! Not like this!"_

Then, the Cero was fired, seemingly engulfing Ulquiorra and Ichigo in the blast.

* * *

Inside the palace, more Exequias continued to grow from Rudbornn's branches and fell to the ground, each with a sword in hand. Rudbornn laughed evilly as his soldiers slowly approached the Arsoke Alliance, ready to attack them.

"As you can see, you're outnumbered." He said. "Any farther resistance is meaningless."

"We'll see about that!" Lea barked. "Firaza!" He swung his Keyblade, launching a large fireball aimed at Rudbornn.

"El Directo!" Chad fired a huge blast from his hand towards Rudbornn as well, both attacks creating a huge smoke cloud. When the smoke cleared, some of the Exequias fell to the ground as the others created a barrier with their bodies in front of Rudbornn, protecting him from the attack. This was known as " _Calavera Wall!_ "

Rudbornn laughed his soldiers released the barrier. "What's the matter?" Rudbornn taunted as more Exequias grew from his branches. "Didn't make myself clear? There are no limits to my powers. My branches can grow forever and give birth to countless soldiers."

"Damn!" Rukia cursed, narrowing her eyes as the Exequias marched towards them. "He produced a whole army in moments. And he's using them as a shield."

"Those branches of his are what's causing them." Riku said. "We have to find a way to take them out. But how?"

"Hey you guys!" Renji said, getting their attention. "Was I mistaken or weren't you two the ones who said, 'leave them to us'? We're not gonna get anywhere if we continue to fight this way."

"Then how do you suppose we get past them?" Aqua asked.

"The soldiers aren't as strong, but their leader is the real issue." Terra said. "If I was there, I could easily defeat him with one attack."

"It's going to take all of us to get past them." Mickey said. "We just need the right time."

Suddenly, an idea popped into Riku and Rukia's head. They both looked at each other, nodded, then faced the others.

"Everyone!" Rukia said, catching the boys' attention. "I'm going to use Hakuren to stop the soldiers from moving on us. Chad, Gantenbainne, Lea, Roxas at that point, you four take the frozen soldiers and destroy as many as you can.

"First we need to thin out their ranks." Riku added. "Xion, Ven, Mickey, you guys take care as many as you can from the right. Donald, Goofy, Pesche, Dondochakka, you four cover the front and watch out for any survivors. Renji and Ashido, after Rukia finishes freezing them, you two deliver the finishing blow." Riku ordered. "Aqua, help Rukia freeze the soldiers. Terra, you're with me.

The others nodded as they received their assignments. Rukia looked at their enemies directly. "Everyone ready?!"

"Time to kick some ass." Renji said, glaring at the Arrancars.

"Let's do this!" Ven declared. With a loud battle cry, the Arosoke Alliance charged forward, except for Rukia and Aqua, who stood behind.

"Fools." Rudbornn said as his men charged forward.

"Leave it to me!" Pesche declared before spitting out another liquid substance from his mouth that hit the feet of the Exequias. However, to their surprise, their feet were stuck as if they were glued to the floor.

"HAHAHA!" Pesche laughed. "I can shoot more than just a slippery slick from my Infinite Slick. What you guys are stuck on is my _Sticky Slick!_ Now Dondochakka!"

"Gotcha!" He said as he opened his mouth and pulled large kanabō. He then held it like a baseball bat and swung the trapped Exequias away. "Oh yeah, feel the power of my katana!"

"That's not a katana!" Donald yelled. More Exequais began to close in, but Goofy used his Tornado technique to spin around and knock back many Exequias with his shield.

"C'mon Donald. You can take 'em!" Goofy said. Seeing several left, Donald raised his staff high. "Thundaza!" Then, all the Exequias on their side were struck by a powerful thunderbolt, incinerating them.

On the left side, Xion, Ven, and Mickey were busy striking down the other Exequias that stood in their way. Ven held his Keyblade in a reverse grip, using his quick speed and agility to swiftly backhand many Exequias. He also ended his combos with several wind attacks.

" _ **Shotlock: Pulse Bombs!**_ " Ven channeled balls of energy at the tip of his Wayward Wind Keyblade, bombarding them with a series of small explosions. Ven saw five Exequias charging towards him. " _Wind Raid!"_ Ven threw his Keyblade at them, and with the power of the wind, it flew around and hit all of them multiple times.

Xion held her Kingdom Key Keyblade in a two-handed grip as she charge ahead and struck down many Exequias in her path. She dealt a series of slashes on them before ending it with her Vortex ability, unleashing a powerful spinning attack that sent them flying.

"Zantetsuken!" She shouted, slashing five Exequias in the blink of an eye. Seeing a few more left, she held her Keyblade high. "Get 'em! Holy!" The tip brimmed with energy as she summoned three pillars of light that rained down on them.

Despite his small structure, Mickey was just as formidable as he dealt severe damage on the Exequias with just simple attacks. Using his size and agility, he flipped and span constantly around his enemies, attacking them from all over, then finished with a wide, powerful strike from his Kingdom Key W Keyblade.

"Now! _Pearl!"_ Mickey pointed his Keyblade and fired several homing balls of light that pummeled the Exequias in front of him.

"Alright! Rukia, Aqua, now's your chance." Mickey signaled. The two nodded as Rukia stabbed her sword into the ground as four ice particles floated up. She took a stance and while Aqua raised her Keyblade forward.

"Tsugi No Mai: Hakuren!"

"Blizzaza!"

Both females fired a huge wave of snow and ice that headed towards Rudbornn. The Exequias quickly reacted in time to create their barrier in front their leader, taking the blast instead.

" _Brazo Derecho del Gigante!_ " Suddenly, Chad's right arm changed once more, becoming a huge shield with Hollow-like teeth in the center. His entire right arm still has the same pattern, except his shoulder now lost the wing-like protrusion, replaced with a hexagonal plate, covering his wrist up to his shoulder.

Then, Chad fired a huge blast at the frozen wall, destroying a part of it along the Exequias trapped inside. Rudbornn covered himself from Chad's attack as the remaining Exequias popped out and went to counterattack. Gantenbainne used Sonido and held out his daggers, gathering spirit energy.

"You're not going anywhere!" He shouted, hitting one so hard it sent him crashing into the other Exequias, knocking them down like bowling pins.

"Guess it's my turn. Try to memorize this. _**Shotlock Max: Meteor Surge!**_ _"_ Lea jumped high and his Flame Liberator Keyblade briefly turned into a Chakram and thrust it into a flaming orb, spinning it and sending fireballs in all directions, hitting many Exequias left.

"Thanks guys! Now it's my turn!" Renji lashed his Bankai towards Rudbornn. " _Hikotsu Taihō_!" Bankai Zabimaru charged up a blast of concentrated spiritual energy from inside its mouth. Unfortunately, more Exequias appeared and jumped on the weapon, causing it to the ground.

"Dammit!" Renji cursed.

"Let me help." Ashido said as he fired a Kidō spell. "Hadō #33: _Sōkatsui!_ " Blue flames discharged from his palm, with Ashido aiming it at the leader, generating a torrent of blue energy. As the blast wave zoomed towards Rudbornn, the Exequias that were piled on Zabimaru, jumped off and took the full force of the attack.

"No!" Ashido exclaimed as Rudbornn let out another laugh and said, "I must say that I am impressed with that team effort. It was very smart. First you attack my men to thin out their ranks, then you froze the remaining soldiers to create an opening. Finally, you attacked, without a moment of hesitation. It was an inspired adept, but you made a critical mistake in your planning." He stated. "Regardless of what technique you use, there's no way that it would ever be effective against me because my loyal and infinite army of soldiers will protect me from harm. This fight is coming to an end.

Rudbornn then looked down at the gathered heroes, loudly declaring "As a show of respect for all of your hard work, I will use my greatest strength to finish you in order to minimize your suffering." Before he could, Rudbornn noticed something is in front of him. He looked down and saw Rukia kneeling with her sword in the ground and a trail of ice that reached to his roots. "What's that?!"

" _Juhaku!_ " Rukia said as the ice glowed white and grew up to Rudbornn himself. "It seems that you're the one who made the mistake here." The ice continued to grow onto Rudbornn's branches until it finally cause them to break.

"Damn you!" Rudbornn cursed. "You were after my branches all along!"

"Exactly," said Rukia. "Our combined attacks were all part of a plan to get close to you. If your power was to produce soldiers like fruit from a tree, then the answer to stopping you would be simple. All we have to do was freeze the branches from where the soldiers were growing."

"She's right." Rudbornn looked to see Riku and Terra, Keyblades in their hand. Riku looked up at the froze Arrancar. "We all know that fruit doesn't grow on a frozen tree. You shouldn't have been so cocky and displayed your powers. It made it easier for us to understand how to stop you."

"Damn it!" Rudbornn said as his face is covered in ice.

"Like you were going to do to us, we'll make this one quick." Terra said as he and Riku charged forward, striking Rudbornn with an X-shaped cross-slash, shattering the frozen Arrancar. Riku and Terra smirked as they landed safely, smiling at their work. Suddenly, their senses reacted just in time to avoid a giant hand that came down, nearly avoiding getting crushed.

"What?!" Rukia exclaimed as she and the others jumped down to the desert sand, a few feet away the new enemy.

"What the hell was that?!" Renji shouted.

"Is it another Hollow?" Xion asked.

"No. I think it's…" Chad said as the smoke started to clear, revealing Yammy, deeply enraged. "Yammy!"

"Yammy? Who is he?" Mickey asked.

"He's an Espada that Captain Hitsugaya fought a few days ago?" Renji replied, remembering what he learned from Urahara.

Gantenbainne frowned at the sight. "Dammit. I was hoping we wouldn't be facing him."

"Guess we have another Espada to deal with." Ashido said, before seeing Chad's expression. "Is something wrong?"

"There's something not right about him." Chad said.

"What do you mean?" Terra asked. "Is there something different about him?"

"I fought this guy once before, back in the World of the Living." Chad revealed, remembering his first encounter with the Espada and how his arm was nearly torn off. "He was pretty big back then, if I remember right." Looking at him, he saw that Yammy nearly towered over the wall. "But he wasn't this big."

"Are you saying this guy can just change his size at will?!" Lea exclaimed in disbelief.

"Gawrsh, in that case then how'd he get bigger?!" Goofy asked. "Do you think it was one of them growth spurts?!"

"Growth spurts don't work that way!" Donald said, annoyed. "Maybe he just ate too much."

"If what Chad says is true, then he must be more dangerous than we thought." Aqua said.

A red aura then began to surround Yammy. " _Damn it!_ " He thought, remembering what Uryū and Kairi did to him. " _Those bastards are not going to get away this!_ "

"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU MISERABLE PISS ANTS!" Yammy roared. "I'M GOING SQUASH EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU LIKE THE BUGS THAT YOU ARE! I PROMISE I'LL BE THE ONE THAT KILLS YOU!" The others withstood the blast of his spiritual pressures, while Pesche and Dondochakka cowered.

"Oh no! I think we made him mad." Pesche panicked.

"He said he was gonna squash us all. Didn't you hear that!?" Dondochakka cried.

"Will you two get a grip!" Renji roared. Just then, a huge red blast landed behind the Arsoke Alliance from the canopy above them.

"Did you guys see that?!" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, we all saw it!" Ashido said. "The question is what was that?"

"It's coming from outside of the canopy!" Chad shouted.

Rukia felt something off and widen her eyes. "That spirit energy…could it be…Ichigo?" she said to herself.

Riku overheard what Rukia said, then looked up. "If that's the case then something must be happening up there?"

* * *

Back above the canopy, Orihime used her Soten Kesshun to protect herself and the others from the blast of Ichigo's Cero. As the smoke started to clear, Kairi asked. "Did Ichigo just…"

"I'm afraid so." Nel said, frowning at what happened. Just then she noticed someone was missing. "Where's Sora?"

Everyone looked and saw Sora was gone. Before they could search, they looked over at the area where Hollow Ichigo stood. To their shock, Ulquiorra was missing.

"He's gone!" Grimmjow exclaimed. "Where the hell is he!?"

Uryū observed the area, then widened his eyes when he looked behind Ichigo. "Everyone look!" The other's turned and to their surprise, Sora was standing, holding Ulquiorra under his arms.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, relieved that he was safe, but confused at his actions.

"He…saved Ulquiorra." Orihime whispered in disbelief.

Ulquiorra was just as confused, seeing what Sora had done. It didn't make any sense. "You protected me. What would possess you to do this!?"

"Shut up." Sora said as he laid Ulquiorra's body to the side. "I don't need a reason. I did it because I felt like it. Now be quiet." Sora looked over at Hollow Ichigo, who faced him and Ulquiorra, approaching them slowly with his at hand.

"Stop this right now Ichigo!" Sora said. "It's over. You've already won. It's true that Ulquiorra was our enemy but you don't have to take it too far." He then looked down with slight regret. "Just like I would have done."

Kairi heard what he said and felt sympathetic for her friend. Sora shook his head, refocusing on Ichigo. "You've won, Ichigo. Please…just let it go." Unfortunately, Ichigo just walked past Sora, advancing on Ulquiorra. Sora stopped Ichigo by grabbing his wrist. "Ichigo, you really have to stop this now. If you go through with this, you won't be a human anymore! You'll lose yourself to the darkness!" Then his eyes widen as Ichigo's sword pierced through the right side of his hip.

"No Sora!" Orihime and Kairi shouted worried.

"He attacked Sora!" Nel exclaimed.

"Damn it! Ichigo, what's gotten into you!" Uryū shouted.

"Open your eyes already!" Grimmjow said. "Remember, that thing over there is not Ichigo. Meaning we're all fair game to him."

Sora gritted his teeth as he gripped Ichigo's Zanpakutō. Then, he used Airstep to pull himself out. Sora held his right hip, using cure to stabilize the bleeding. "Ichigo, what are you doing!"

" **Help…her…** " Orihime's eyes widen when she heard Ichigo's voice. " **Must protect her…help her…I must…I will…protect her.** " Kairi looked curious until she realized that he was referring to Orihime. However, Ichigo was soon struck in the face by a Strike Raid, pushing him back a step. Orihime and Kairi saw Sora, re-summoning his Keyblade.

"Sora!" Orihime shouted in surprised.

"Orihime! Kairi! You two stay here!" Sora shouted as he looked at Ichigo. "I don't know what's going on with Ichigo but he's not himself anymore! I'm gonna have to stop him now." Ichigo didn't respond as Sora said. "I'm sorry Ichigo, but I'm gonna have to beat some sense into you." Sora charged towards Ichigo. Ichigo tried to slice Sora's head off, but he ducked and hit Ichigo several times, knocking him into the air.

" _ **Shotlock Max: Ragnarok!**_ " Sora fired a cluster of energy shots towards Ichigo. However, before they could hit, Ichigo disappeared, causing Sora to stop. "Where did he…" Sora felt Ichigo's hand grab him by the neck and threw him next to Kairi and Orihime. Sora coughed up blood when he hit the ground.

"Sora, are you okay?" Kairi asked, as she and Orihime rushed over to his side. Kairi held Sora and help sit him up.

"I'm fine." Sora said, panting. "But I have to still save Ichigo."

"No, Sora please stop this!" Orihime pleaded, catching their attention They saw Orihime looking down, tears flowing. "It's my fault! I'm the one responsible for making Ichigo like this. It's because I made Ichigo help me. I trained so I couldn't be a burden to everyone. I chose to come to Hueco Mundo. I did this so I could protect Ichigo from getting hurt. But I…I."

"Don't blame yourself." Sora said to Orihime, catching her attention as he slowly got to his feet. Orihime looked at Sora with wide eyes. "Don't say that it was your fault, because that's not true!" Sora then used Cure to heal himself, standing back up.

"But it is!" Orihime declared, her eyes turning sad. "I ended up relying on Ichigo, relying on you, because I can't do anything for myself. I'm just weak and I always will be."

As she wept, Orihime looked and saw Kairi placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked and saw Kairi giving her a small smile. "And what's wrong with relying on others. While it's true you shouldn't be too reliant on other people, that doesn't mean you should stop believing in everyone else. Having faith in others is a way in building trust, and through that trust, you form a connection."

Then with a determined look, she said, "And through that connection, the other grows stronger because you believed in them. I know that everything that has happened to you was too much to bear and it hurts. But please, don't stop believing. Believe in Sora."

Orihime was left speechless at Kairi's words. Was she right? Was believing going to help Sora save Ichigo? Just then, she turned to see Ichigo slowly walking towards Sora, charging up a Cero.

"Ichigo, don't do this!" Orihime shouted but it fell on deaf ears. "Please! Listen to me Ichigo!"

However, Kairi looked down and saw her heart begin to glow. Then, from above the dome, the clouds gathered together as a pillar of light shot down between Ichigo and Sora, pushing them back. As everyone looked at the display, speechless, the light from Kairi's heart shot out and flew at the pillar of light.

"It seems we've made it in time." A voice shot out. When the light cleared, everyone saw two figures standing from at the center.

"Who…are they?" Nel asked.

"I'm not sure?" Uryū replied. "But the question is if they're allies or not?"

While Orihime looked in awe, Kairi beamed at the sight of one fortunate figure whom she recognized. "Naminé!"

Yes. It was Naminé. Now with a new body and everything. Said blonde haired girl looked at her with a smile. "Kairi. I told we would meet again."

"Naminé, is that really you?" Sora asked, also shocked but happy to see her.

"It is me Sora." She confirmed. "I know that it's too much to explain, but I was able to be revived through help from our friends. And with him."

Finally acknowledging the figure behind her, none of them recognized him. Except for Sora, who taught back to his adventures at Castle Oblivion.

"You're…Vexen!" He exclaimed.

Said person nodded. "Yes. I suppose for you, the last time we spoke was at the castle, prior to my eradication at Axel's hands."

Narrowing his eyes, Sora remained cautious. "I heard that you were recompleted with the other of Ansem the Wise's apprentices, but then you vanished." He then said, "Then, we learned that you rejoined the organization."

"Initially I did." Vexen confirmed. "However that was merely to finish completing the replica program. Which was beneficial for reviving Roxas and Naminé as you can see."

Sora looked confused until he remembered that Roxas had appeared in the Keyblade Graveyard the same way as they did just now. That was because of him.

"I know you have no reason to trust me." Vexen stated. "However, I came here with the purpose to rescue Kairi and restore Naminé."

Everything was happening to fast for Sora. However, Hollow Ichigo, who was growing annoyed at being ignored, fired a Cero at the Keyblade Wielder. Just then, Nel used Sonido and absorbed the Cero before using Cero Doble to fire it back at him.

"Nel!" Sora shouted.

"I'm not sure of the situation," Nel said. "However, if what he says is true then you must believe him."

Sora still looked unsure, until he looked back at Vexen. "Okay, you helped save Naminé after all. I guess I can thank you for that."

Vexen gave a small smile, until his senses kicked in. "Watch out!" He knocked Naminé over to Kairi as he barely dodge a Cero Oscuras. They looked and saw Ulquiorra, standing up, having fired a Cero at them.

"You will regret sparing me." He told him.

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime cried.

Naminé looked with apprehension as Kairi looked at her. "Naminé, do you know?" the blonde girl nodded. "Yes. I'm aware of everything that's happened when I was in your heart. I know how dangerous he is."

"And with Ichigo having lost his mind, things are more dangerous than they were." Grimmjow said, he and Uryū walking over to them.

"Ichigo." Naminé whispered as she looked over at him, deeply analyzing him. Uryū and Kairi noticed her expression. "Is something wrong?" the former asked.

"It's Ichigo mind. It seems that, something inside has corrupted him." Naminé said.

"You mean there's something else that's controlling Ichigo and making him do this?" Kairi surmised, which she nodded.

Uryū pondered this for a moment, then gasped when a thought came to mind. "That's it! Ichigo's Inner Hollow. Before we left, Kisuke informed me that Ichigo had been training with a group of people to control it and use its power."

"So that's why he can use that Hollow mask before." Sora said, understanding what they meant by Hollowfication. Seeing Ichigo roar uncontrollably, Sora asked. "Is there a way to restore him?"

Naminé thought for a moment, then said. "I believe our best option is to wear him down. Once his stamina and mental energy has been weakened, I might be able to sever the link that is corrupting his mind and bring Ichigo back to his senses."

That part was going to be easier said than done. After what Hollow Ichigo did to Ulquiorra, they weren't sure if they'd last a second against him. Sora however, looked determined and stepped forward.

"I'll save him." He said, to everyone's surprise.

"Sora!" Orihime exclaimed.

"You can't" Nel said.

"Did you forget how he nearly killed you and Ulquiorra?!" Uryū asked. "You can't possible think you can handle him on you own."

"But I have to try!" Sora shouted. "Ichigo risked so much to help us out. I owe it to him to try and save, anyway that I can." Staring at Ichigo, Sora smiled and said. "Besides, Ichigo is my friend, and when a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there to help."

The others looked at Sora with awe as Kairi, Naminé, Nel, and Orihime smiled. That was just like Sora do to say something like this. Vexen even let out an amused sigh. Seems some things haven't changed a bit.

"How very noble of you." Ulquiorra said, having stood and watched the exchange in silence. "Unfortunately, I won't allow you to make such an attempt." He then pulled out his Lanza Del Relámpago.

Vexen, though not having met Ulquiorra, could tell that his power was beyond his own. Acting quickly, he grabbed both Kairi and Naminé's arms, getting their attention. "It would seem the situation is more dangerous than I anticipated. Come now, I shall lead you both to safety."

Kairi was surprised at this. "You want to take us away from the battle? But you can't!"

"I have no choice. Neither of us are a match for this being." Vexen retorted. "Leave them to handle this. We'll only be hindrance to them!"

Naminé shook her head. "I'm sorry Vexen, but I'm staying. Remember I still have to help Sora restore Ichigo's mind. I can't abandon them now."

"Neither can I." Kairi said fiercely. "I may have been brought here against my will, by my friends fought so hard to rescue me and Sora. It wouldn't be right if I fled from the fight. Which is why I'm going to fight with all my friends."

Vexen looked at them, exasperated by their attitude. However, Ichigo came from behind and tried to cut down Vexen, until Grimmjow grabbed his arm and threw Ichigo a good distance away from this area. Ulquiorra seized the moment to attack, but jumped back to avoid Uryū's Licht Regen, landing a few feet away from them.

"Hey, you morons better decide now!" Grimmjow barked. "Cause these two are getting pretty annoyed with us chattering."

Nel nodded and held her Zanpakutō as she and Grimmjow joined Sora's side. "If you are concerned with Naminé's safety, then we will protect her and Sora as we subdue Ichigo."

Though Sora nodded, he then looked back at the Fourth Espada. "But what about Ulquiorra?"

"I'll hold him off." Uryū said as he brought out Seele Schneider. "I can tell he's been weakened from the previous battles, so I should hold him off long enough for you to bring Ichigo to his senses."

Kairi summoned her Keyblade and joined Uryū's side. "I'll help to. I'm not going to let him hurt Sora or anyone else again." She then looked back at Vexen. "Vexen, are you with us?"

Vexen looked at Sora, Grimmjow, Nel, and Naminé prepared to face Hollow Ichigo while Uryū and Kairi faced off with Ulquiorra while Orihime hid behind a rock. Sighing, Vexen said, "You people will be the death of me. But I should have realized who I was dealing with."

Kairi smiled as everyone else got into a fighting stance. As Vexen did, he thought. " _Now where in blazes is Isa? Did he get separated from us!?"_

* * *

Inside Las Noches, Isa pulled his hood back as he looked across the vast distance of the morning desert region. He had entered with Vexen to deliver the vessel that was needed to place Naminé's heart inside. However, from where he stood, he couldn't sense Vexen or Naminé anywhere in this area.

"It would seem there was a mistake in the transporter." Isa deduced. "I seem to be in the right place but Vexen and I must have separated from each other. Not that it matters though. I'm sure he will deliver the vessel for Naminé. However, it would be better to rendezvous with him and verify the success."

Isa then looked over the area, trying his best to sense the hearts of Vexen or any of the Keyblade Wielders that was said to be in this odd world. After a minute, his eyes widened when he sensed several powerful energies suddenly appearing.

"Those energies, where…" Isa searched until he spotted five large towers a few miles from his location. Upon closer inspection, he sensed that place was the source of where the energies were emanating.

Isa narrowed his eyes as he looked on. "Perhaps that is where I will find my answers. I need to hurry."

With that, Isa dashed at high speeds towards the Five Towers. However, unknown to him, a hooded figure had been observing him from another distance, quieting analyzing his move, then let out a laugh.

"Ha, Ha, Ha!" He laughed up a storm, then calmed down as he said, "Never really thought this would happen. Two members of the former Organization XIII deciding to help the Keyblade Wielders. Of course, you never know what to expect from those two. After all, they were able to pull a fast one on the old timer, even brought Demyx along with it."

The hooded figure then pulled back his hood, revealing his face. He has a gold eye, pointed ears, upturned eyebrows, and dark hair with several grey streaks that is tied into a long ponytail. He wears an eyepatch over his right eye and has a large, jagged scar extending from his left cheek to just under his left eye. This man was none other than Xigbar, former Number 2 of Organization XIII and former member of the 13 Seekers of Darkness.

"Still, I have to thank them for their role as double agents. It did help the Second Keyblade War play out smoothly." Xigbar chuckled as he looked over where Isa was heading off. "I also owe it to Sora and his little group of friends. That's why I worked my butt off to find the little lost princess."

Setting his sights, Xigbar grinned. "Welp, I made it this far, might as well see this little adventure to the end."

With that, Xigbar rushed off to the Five Towers, ready to see what would occur at the area.

* * *

Back at the battlefield, Uryū used Hirenkyaku to appear above Ulquiorra, firing several arrows at him. The Espada knocked them away with his javelin, then flew to impale him, only to end up being frozen in a chunk of ice.

Vexen smirked as he stood away with a blue shield raised. It was shaped like an upside-down teardrop with two oval chunks taken out of each side. Four small blue spikes line the top and a blue larger one in the middle. The edges of this shield are silver, and the face of the shield is mostly blue, though the bottom tip is sky blue. This was his weapon, " _Frozen Pride."_

"You should be careful where you step, lest you fall for the enemy's trap." Vexen said. However, it was short lived when the Espada burst free from the ice. Vexen snarled as he raised his shield again, charging towards Ulquiorra. He swung his shield to hit him but the Espada simply backstepped each of his attacks.

"Pathetic." He said, still dodging. "I don't know who you are but compared to Sora, you are no threat. You're as weak as the others."

Vexen frowned as he tightened his shield. "I admit that I'm not as physically powerful as the people I've worked with, however…" With one swing, Ulquiorra was struck by and ice pillar that came out of the ground. "…I have my means."

Ulquiorra's wound healed as he tried to attack Vexen but Uryū appeared and fired another volley of arrows. Ulquiorra shield himself but several of the arrows pierced through his wings.

" _It seems he really has gotten weaker since his fight with Sora and Ichigo. However, I shouldn't get too overconfident, since he's still the Fourth Espada."_ Uryū thought as he continued firing his arrows. He then looked back at Vexen. "Where are Orihime and Kairi?"

"I told them to stand back." Vexen replied. "Kairi will be protect the one you call Orihime. Among us, she is the least experienced in combat."

Growing frustrated, Ulquiorra flapped his wings, dispelling the arrows. "This has gone long enough. Your attacks are nothing more of irritation." He created Lanza Del Relámpago and flew at the two.

Vexen ran in front of the Quincy, "Stand back! _Ice Saucer!"_ With one wave, he sent four rotating blades of ice at the Espada. Undaunted, he causally swatted them away with a single strike, shattering them. The Nobody gritted his teeth as he raised Frozen Pride to block Ulquiorra's attack. The Espada continued slamming it on top his shield, which slowly began cracking.

"Vexen move." Uryū ordered as Vexen did just in time for him to fire Licht Regen at the Espada, who was caught off guard at the attack. Ulquiorra was sent crashing into the rubble as Vexen stood up, seeing the damage. When the dust cleared, Ulquiorra stood up, hardly damaged at all. The Nobody gritted his teeth in frustration.

"No matter how hard we try, nothing seems to keep him down!" Vexen said. Uryū also frowned but readied his bow. "I know. However, we just need to hold him off until Sora and the others bring Ichigo to his senses."

Vexen nodded as he looked at Ulquiorra flying in once more. " _Sora, please hurry!"_

* * *

Grimmjow roared as he fired ten rounds of Garra de la Pantera at Hollow Ichigo, how swung his Zanpakutō, deflecting all the attacks. With a loud roar, Hollow Ichigo fired a Cero at Grimmjow, only for Nel to appear and absorb the Cero once more, then use Cero Doble to fire it back at Hollow Ichigo, consuming him in the explosion.

Nel panted heavily as she staggered a bit, which Grimmjow took notice off. "Hey, are you alright?"

Nel panted as she said, "I'm sorry. Having used…Cero Doble this…many times since my powers…returned is taking…a lot from me."

Sora looked at her with concern. "Then you should go and rest. Grimmjow and I can handle things from here."

Nel smiled sweetly at Sora but shook her head. "I'm fine, don't be worried. Besides…" Seeing Hollow Ichigo remain unscathed, Nel picked up her Zanpakutō and stood straight. "It wouldn't be right to leave you to fend for yourselves, especially since I wish to save Ichigo as well."

Sora nodded, understanding her feelings. Just then, Hollow Ichigo yelled more as he used Sonido, planning to slash Sora from behind. However, Grimmjow kicked him hard in the face, then punched him several times in the face. Unfortunately, his punches had little affect on Hollow Ichigo, who was finally fed up and grabbed Grimmjow's wrist.

Grimmjow however, smirked. "Don't think I'm soft like Nel or Sora. Unlike them, I'm only here to get my chance to beat you to a pulp. So, don't think I plan on going easy on you." Using his free hand, Grimmjow grabbed Hollow Ichigo's face, then fired a Cero point blank at him. The Sixth Espada laughed manically, until he was then lifted and thrown several feet away, landing hard on the sand. He looked up and saw Hollow Ichigo still standing, not even a scratch on his face.

Nel then charged forward, delivering fast and swift sword strikes at Hollow Ichigo, who parred her attacks with little effort, stepping back with each block. Sora, summoning Starlight to use Synch Blade, made to slash Hollow Ichigo from behind, but he used Sonido to dodge. Then, Sora reacted to block another attack from Hollow Ichigo, who appeared from behind. Sora jumped back and fired two Firaza spells, then a Blizzaza to finish. While Hollow Ichigo slashed the two, his feet were frozen by the ice spell. Seeing an Ice trail, Sora slid on it and closed the distance, slashing Ichigo across the torso. However, to his shock, Hollow Ichigo's wound healed rapidly, leaving no mark.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he has high-speed regeneration like Ulquiorra." Sora muttered, then got back into his stance. "However, if it's anything like Ulquiorra's, the it doesn't make up for lost stamina or fatigue."

Hollow Ichigo roared more as he broke his legs free from the ice spell. Grimmjow grabbed Ichigo in a headlock as he used his arm blades to stab his neck. This had little effect and the Hollowfied being grabbed Grimmjow and threw him off. He slid on the sand as Nel ran past him, yelling as she slammed her sword onto his. She struggled to break through his defense but saw he wasn't budging in inch. Seeing her chance, Nel punched Hollow Ichigo hard in the gut, which sent him flying back a few feet away. Grimmjow then used Sonido to kick him hard in the back. Recovering, Hollow Ichigo tried to stab Grimmjow, but Nel ran up and held onto his wrist, stopping his sword. The Sixth Espada then punched Hollow Ichigo once more but he grabbed his fist and threw him onto Nel, knocking them both off.

Sora then ran up and delivered a series of sword attacks from his two Keyblades, though Hollow Ichigo held his blade to block the blows. Not giving up, Sora unleashed Sonic Blade to attack him from every angle, though he grabbed Sora's face and slammed him hard on the ground. Letting out a groan, Sora saw Hollow Ichigo preparing to fire a Cero, however Grimmjow pulled his hair which caused the Cero to aim at one of the pillars, decimating it.

Meanwhile, Naminé held behind a rock as she watched Sora, Grimmjow, and Nel struggling to subdue Hollow Ichigo, who continued to attack all of them, countering their moves. Since she wasn't a fighter, she got to safety as she waited for the chance when Hollow Ichigo was weakened enough for her to restore his mind.

" _This isn't looking good."_ Naminé thought as she watched the battle. " _Sora, Nel, and Grimmjow are barely fending him off. They better hurry quick, before Ulquiorra gets involved. I'm not sure if Vexen and Uryū can hold him off much longer."_

* * *

" _Ice Needles!"_ Vexen slammed his shield, which caused several ice spires to surround him. Then, several large ice spires sprouted from the ground from where Ulquiorra was. He jumped high to avoid one then noticed them forming a trail that was following him. Spreading his wings, Ulquiorra jumped and landed on one ice spire to another, swiftly evading the attack. Vexen saw this and took action.

" _Ice Lance!"_ A large sharp ice projectile was sent flying at Ulquiorra. Seeing it, Ulquiorra shattered it with his lance. Uryū took the chance to fire several arrows, only for the Espada to grab him by the leg.

"You're starting to become a nuisance." Ulquiorra then through the Quincy at the Nobody, sending the both tumbling across the sand.

Kairi winced as she saw the two continue to struggle against the Espada. "I thought he would have been easier to handle since he was weakened but they still can't do anything against him."

Orihime whimpered as she folded her hands, unsure of what to do. "What are we going to do? Everyone is busy saving Ichigo, I don't think anyone can help save them from Ulquiorra."

Kairi looked at her for a moment, then back at the others, watching Vexen swing his shield as Ulquiorra jumped back and dodged another arrow from Uryū. Kairi then looked at her hands, and with a determined expression, clenched it.

"I guess I'll be stepping in after all." Kairi said, summoning her Destiny's Embrace Keyblade. She then began walking towards Ulquiorra, much to Orihime's shock.

"Kairi wait!" She cried. "You can't go out there. Ulquiorra is too strong! If you fight him now…"

"Don't you think I know that!" Kairi yelled, causing Orihime to flinch. "I've seen through his battle with Sora that he's stronger than me. I'm not even sure how I'll handle him."

"Then why…"

"Because my heart says so." Kairi adamantly stated, stunning the girl. "Don't think I'm going into this not feeling afraid. Because I'm not. But…" Kairi placed a hand near her heart. "…losing the people I care about; is the worst kind of fear I can have. That's why I'm still going."

Kairi paused for a moment to look back at Orihime. "You feel the same way, don't you?" Orihime looked confused as she went on, "I know you're scared, and I can't really blame you. I also know what it's like to feel powerless compared to other people. But it doesn't have to be like that. However, that all depends on you."

"On…me." Orihime whispered.

"You need to decide for yourself what it is you want to do." Kairi told her. "Do you want to continue watching from the sidelines or stand and fight with your friends. Whatever you decide, it's all up to you."

Orihime looked down in thought, thinking about Kairi's words. "How can I? How can I decide what to do?"

"Ask your heart." Kairi simply told her. With nothing left to say, she ran off to the battle, leaving Orihime to think deeply of what Kairi said.

Uryū raised Seele Schneider to block a downward slash from Ulquiorra's lance. He gritted his teeth due to the strain of Ulquiorra's strength, who slammed it two more times before kicking the Quincy away. Uryū recovered himself and landed safely. However, Ulquiorra grabbed his arm, preparing to rip it off this time. Before he could, Ulquiorra jumped high as a block of ice appeared from where he once stood. Vexen snarled as he raised Frozen Pride once more, shouting "Come to me Ice Blade! _Slide Break!"_

The Espada saw him freezing ice onto the bottom of his shield, which took the form a gigantic ice sword. Sliding across the ground, Vexen tried to deliver wild slashes at Ulquiorra, who stepped back to dodge the ice blade. He raised his lance to stab the Nobody, but to his shock, it suddenly dissipated before his eyes. He turned around and saw Uryū smirking, Seele Schneider giving off a stronger blue glow.

" _Anhäufer_! I should have mention this earlier but one of Seele Schneider's abilities is to collect spirit energy during combat by absorbing my opponent's attacks." Uryū explained. "Which helps amplify my own."

Ulquiorra was caught off guard when Vexen slashed his torso and right arm with his ice blade. He flew back but was met with Seele Schneider piercing his chest, having been shot by Uryū. Vexen took the chance to deal wild slashes on him, cutting him in several places across his body. Finally, the Nobody raised his shield to slam the blade on him, but then Ulquiorra grabbed the blade with his hands. He then snapped the ice blade right off, shocking Vexen greatly. Ulquiorra then horrifically stabbed Vexen in the stomach with a piece of the blade.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Vexen bellowed as he clutched his wound.

"Vexen!" Uryū screamed as he ran to help, only for Ulquiorra to pin him to the ground. Uryū struggled as Ulquiorra grabbed his right arm, planning to snap it off.

"It would seem that your teamwork was not enough to win." Ulquiorra said. "Now fall and know that your friends will join you soon." The Quincy tried his best to break free with every struggle, but that wasn't enough. Was it over?

"Hey!" The two looked to see Kairi stepping up, Keyblade in hand. "Leave. Him. Alone!"

"Kairi." Uryū muttered in shock before saying. "NO! Stay back!"

"So, you have decided to meet your fate first." Ulquiorra said. Kairi shook her head. "No, I came to stop you from hurting my friends."

"And what makes you believe you have the slightest chances of defeating me?" Ulquiorra asked. "You should ask your comrades first."

"Don't underestimate me." Kairi said. "You may have strength and power, but I have a stronger weapon. One that you will never have." Putting her hand over her chest, Kairi said. "My heart!"

Ulquiorra merely looked at her blankly, before letting go of the Quincy, standing up. "If I had such a thing, this would be where I die of laughter. You Humans continue to preach about something so meaningless."

"The fact that you don't know is the reason why you will never hold a candle to Sora." Kairi said. Having heard enough, Ulquiorra fired a Cero Oscuras at her. Kairi merely stood there as the dark Cero came close to her. Ulquiorra expected her to be engulfed by it, but then saw something that shocked him. Kairi raised her Keyblade and then an immense bright light shined from her that dispelled the Cero entirely. Kairi then ran forward and performed her Lightbreaker attack on him. He went to grab her arms, but when he did, the light shined brighter as his hand felt like it was burning. Hissing, Ulquiorra pulled it back as Kairi attack struck him hard with her Keyblade.

The Fourth Espada flew back as he saw his hand giving off smoke from having touched her. Not only that but she was able to easily dispel his Cero Oscuras. He then asked her, "What are you?"

"I am one of the Seven Princess of Heart. A maiden whose heart is made up of pure light and rejects all form of darkness." Kairi declared. "I am also one of the 7 Guardians of Light, a Keyblade Wielder tasked to protect the light of the world."

"Is that…really true?" Uryū asked from where he laid. Vexen nodded. "Indeed it is. This also means that she is one of the New Seven Hearts. I never imagined her light could be used to this extent."

Ulquiorra recovered himself as he looked back at Kairi. "You are an interesting one, more so than Orihime Inoue. However, even the brightest light, can be driven to darkness."

"We'll see about that." Kairi then charged forward, swinging her Keyblade to hit Ulquiorra, who sidestepped away from her attacks. Orihime continued to observe the battle, watching Kairi was unable to land a hit on Ulquiorra. However, when Ulquiorra went to attack, his hand was repelled by the bright light that emanated from her. It seemed that neither side held an advantage. However, she what amazed her so much was Kairi's bravery in standing up to him.

"I never knew Kairi was so amazing." Orihime said, watching the battle. However, the words Kairi said to her still stuck in her head.

" _You need to decide for yourself what it is you want to do. Do you want to continue watching from the sidelines or stand and fight with your friends. Whatever you decide, it's all up to you._ "

Orihime looked back at the moments when everyone was preparing for the upcoming war against Aizen and the Espadas. When Tsubaki was in critical condition after being destroyed by Yammy, she was asked to stay away from the coming fights. Because of her lack of offensive techniques, she was more a liability and Urahara did not want her other techniques to draw the eye of Aizen. Even when Tsubaki was restored by Hachi, she was still recommended to avoid the battle against the Arrancar.

Despite all the objections, she still planned to make the most of her abilities to train for the upcoming battle. However, when she was kidnapped by Ulquiorra and made prisoner by Aizen, she attempted to use her powers to destroy the Hōgyoku. Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case. It was all just a lie to lure Ichigo, her friends, and the Soul Reapers here and imprison them. She was the bait that lured them.

"I just wanted to be strong. To help my friends fight and make sure they were all safe." Orihime lamented. "Instead, I ended up dragging them into this situation. If I wasn't so weak, Ichigo wouldn't have…"

" _I'm doing this because my heart says so._ "

Orihime's eyes snapped wide when she heard Kairi's voice in her head. "Kairi!"

" _It's okay to feel scared. Everyone gets scared at times, even Sora does._ " Kairi's voice said to her. " _But feeling scared doesn't mean that you're weak. It just means you still have more room to grow. Only when you've faced your fears, is when you can grow into a gentle and brave person._ "

"But I don't know how." Orihime said. "How can I be brave like you, Sora, and Ichigo?"

" _It's all about having a strong heart. Remember what your friends came to fight for and how hard they are fighting now to protect you and Ichigo. What is the worst kind of fear you can have?_ "

She then remembered Kairi saying how losing the friends she loves is the worst fear she can have. When she thought about, she felt the same when it came to Ichigo, Rukia, Uryū, Chad, and Renji. They all fought hard to save her, and she never did anything for them. Suddenly, she's snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Kairi thrown into a large piece of rubble. She gasped when she saw her clothes slightly tattered.

"Oh no! Kairi!" She exclaimed. Looking down at her heart, she thought of her words. "A strong heart." She then thought back to when she nearly Tatsuki and her friends to a Hollow.

"AAHHHH!" Kairi screamed as she hit the pillar. She staggered to get up as Ulquiorra walked over to her, his wounds healing.

"You've made it this far. If nothing else, I praise your tenacity." Ulquiorra said. "Unfortunately, despite your unusual light, you still cannot win. And it's for three reasons."

Kairi panted as she saw Ulquiorra lifting a large builder twice his size. "Number 1: you're weak against physical attacks. Especially from objects of non-magic origins." He then threw the builder straight at Kairi, who jumped away to dodge it. However, Ulquiorra used Sonido to intercept her. "Number 2: physically, you have poor strength and your stamina is very low. Leaving you helpless against counterattacks." Cutting off his own tail, he fashioned it into a spear to deliver rapid thrust at Kairi, who raised her Keyblade to block them all but was cut a few time in her arms, right waist, and left cheek.

"I'm not done!" Kairi yelled as she swung her Keyblade, only for Ulquiorra to grab Uryū and slam him on top of her. As they both yelled, Ulquiorra concluded. "And Number 3: Compared to Sora, you have little combat experience. You are not fully aware of your surroundings. And that is why you can never win." Using Uryū as a shield he pinned him down to keep Kairi pinned under him. He then pointed his finger, charging a Cero Oscuras. "Now then, it's time to end this."

"No! It can't be!" Uryū exclaimed, seeing the Cero so close to them. Kairi tried to struggle free. "No! I won't give up!"

"It's futile." Ulquiorra said, as he prepared to fire. Until…

" _Koten Zanshun!_ I reject!" Ulquiorra saw his right arm was evaporated clear from his shoulder. With wide eyes, he saw Orihime having fired Tsubaki. This time, Orihime's eyes showed no sign of fear or hesitance. Instead, they showed determination.

Tsubaki huffed as he said, "So, you've finally learned not to hesitate. About time." With that, he disappeared into her hairpin.

Uryū just looked in awe, trying to see if he saw that right. "Or-Orihime." He breathed.

Kairi smiled widely, happy for Orihime. "You came after all."

Orihime smiled as she nodded at her head at her friends. Having regenerated his arm, Ulquiorra asked, "You've finally decided to oppose me girl." She narrowed her eyes as he continued. "Don't believe you will change the outcome because you've learned to control the Shun Shun Rikka better. Its power is still unstable."

"I know, but I have to try." Orihime said. "Because I've learned that losing all my friends is the worst kind of fear." She looked over at Kairi, then said. "As long as I stay true to my heart, I won't cry or run away ever again."

Apathetic at her words, Ulquiorra summoned his lance once more. "I didn't kill you because I never received any orders. However…killing you to protect Las Noches is a different matter." Before he could move, he was forced to jump away to avoid an ice blade by Vexen, who held onto his wounds. However, this action also freed Uryū and Kairi, who both staggered up.

"Thanks for your help." The Quincy said, which Vexen nodded in return. "We shouldn't rest yet. Our troubles are not over." They turned to see Ulquiorra getting back on his feet.

"Don't worry." Kairi said, walking next to Orihime. "We can win if we work together." She looked at Orihime and smiled determinedly. Orihime returned to smile and with that, the four combatants faced off against Ulquiorra, who raised his lance to attack.

* * *

Naminé had been looking at the battle and saw that Grimmjow had collapsed while Nel was on all fours, breathing heavily as she too could not continue. Sora however, we still fighting Hollow Ichigo, though she could tell he wasn't going to last longer.

"This is bad." She said, noticing the grimness of the situation. "Grimmjow and Nel can't fight anymore and I'm not sure how long Sora will last. What's worst, Ichigo doesn't look anywhere near to being wore out. If they don't hurry soon, then…"

Sora panted as he continued to attack Hollow Ichigo who parred all of Sora's attacks. He then went for a horizontal slash, but Sora ducked and summoned Starlight to strike Hollow Ichigo's torso. Wide open, Sora widely struck him all over with both Keyblades. As he staggered, Sora went for the head but was then hit hard by Hollow Ichigo's fist. As he flew back, he saw Hollow Ichigo firing a Cero at him. Reacting fast, Sora crossed both his Keyblades to block the Cero. The power pushed Sora back across the sand before it dissipated. Sora panted as his Keyblades let out steam from the heat of the Cero.

From where he laid, Grimmjow struggled to get up as he returned to his sealed state, his Zanpakutō returning to his side. "Damn it! I didn't think that Hollow inside him…was this…strong. The way it brushed me and Nel…off like it was…nothing." He then continued to see Sora fighting against it. "I don't even think Sora has a chance against it."

Nel looked over at Grimmjow and then back at Sora, who kept on fighting off Hollow Ichigo with determined eyes. Those eyes showed that he was fighting not to defeat him, but to save his new friend. She had seen those eyes when Ichigo fought Grimmjow and told Orihime that he was fighting for her. Now, she could see that Sora needed the same support as Ichigo did back then.

"Sora…SORA!" She yelled. "DON'T GIVE UP SORA! I KNOW YOU CAN WIN!"

Naminé gasped when she heard her cheer for Sora. Then, she slowly smiled as she raised her head to see Sora still fighting with all his heart. "Sora, remember the promise you made to me!? You said you would thank me when this was all over! Well, win and save Ichigo! And remember that I'm still here!"

Grimmjow looked at both of them. At first, he shook his head. What was cheering going to do at this point? Ridiculous! However, if Sora died now, then he'd never get to fight him or settle his score with Ichigo.

"Heh, like cheering is gonna do us anything good." Grimmjow muttered. "The only thing I want is to see you kick that Hollow outta him. Because I still have to settle things with Ichigo." He then shouted, "YOU HEAR THAT KID! YOU BETTER NOT LOSE OR I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!"

Sora heard all those voices and smirked, happy for their support, even Grimmjow's. He then looked back at Hollow Ichigo. "Yeah, I hear you guys. I should have remembered that I still have friends who are here to support me. When they do, their strength becomes my strength. It's all I need to become stronger myself. It's also the same for you, right Ichigo?" The Hollow said nothing, as Sora continued. "I don't know who you are but Ichigo's friends are waiting for him to come home. I won't let you use his body any longer."

Sora let out a battle cry as he ran forward, dragging his Keyblades across the ground. Hollow Ichigo let out a powerful roar as he charged as well, raising his Zanpakutō back. As Sora prepared to strike, he heard, " _Aim for the mask!"_

"Huh?" He heard. Until he recognized the voice. "Wait! Kalgara!?"

" _Shine your Keyblades at the mask! It will subdue him long enough for your friend to finish her job! Hurry!"_

Taking her instructions to heart, Sora pointed both Kingdom Key and Starlight at Hollow Ichigo, the tips shining. Suddenly, two beams fired until they both united and struck Hollow Ichigo in his tracks, stopping his movement. The Hollowfied being then let out a painful scream as he dropped his sword and grabbed his head like it was having a severe headache. The others looked confused as the being fell to its knees, still clutching its head.

"Whoa. Sora has that thing pinned down." Grimmjow said, amazed

"Sora how are you…" Nel said but was interrupted by Sora. "Please by quiet! I can only hold Ichigo back for so long!" Sora said as he continued using the Keyblades to pin Hollow Ichigo. Meanwhile, Naminé was in awe as she sensed Ichigo's mind.

"I can feel it." She said. "The thing that has been holding Ichigo's memories and consciousness is beginning to weaken, but it's still putting up a fight. If I don't hurry, things can turn worse.

"Naminé! Please hurry!" Sora shouted as he strengthen his grip. Naminé nodded and ran forward until she stopped a few feet away from Ichigo. When she was in position, Naminé raised her hands, aiming at Ichigo's head. "Give me a minute. I'm trying to find an opening."

"Make it quick because…" Sora was interrupted by something.

" _ **Who the hell do you think you are!?**_ _"_

Sora's head shot up straight as he began looking around. "Who are you!"

"Who are you talking to Sora?" Nel asked, confused at his actions.

" _ **I don't like little freaks like you getting in the way of my work. Ichigo's body is now mine. So, get out!**_ _"_

It was then Sora realized that it was coming from Hollow Ichigo's head. Before he could act, he fell on his right knee as he felt like his head was beginning to snap. It was obvious the Hollow was trying to push Sora out, preventing him from freeing Ichigo. Sora gnashed his teeth as he endured the pain, doing whatever he can to free Ichigo. Naminé watched what was happening and knew what was occurring.

"I see. The Hollow within Ichigo is trying to push Sora out." Naminé realized. "I still need more time. Sora, use every ounce of your energy to subdue him!"

"I'm trying!" He replied. "But the Inner Hollow is using his own power to keep me out. If I use up more, that's it for me." Hollow Ichigo roared as he began to recuperate. However, Nel came from behind and grabbed him by the horns, pulling his head back as she kneed him hard in the spine.

"I'm sorry Ichigo." Nel apologized before shouting, "Grimmjow now!"

"Right!" Suddenly, Grimmjow came and punch Hollow Ichigo multiple times in the face, forming Balas to increase the power of his fists. The added pain caused Hollow Ichigo to lower his defenses.

" _ **No! You little insects!**_ " The Inner Hollow roared in Sora's mind

Sora's eyes snapped as he recovered himself. "Now's my chance!" With all his power, the beams grew larger as they engulfed Ichigo's face completely, pushing Nel and Grimmjow off him.

" _ **No! I won't let you pest win! This is my body!**_ "

"Not anymore! Now Naminé!" Sora ordered which she nodded. "You're done using Ichigo's body to terrorize his friends" Naminé said and with a snap, Hollow Ichigo was suddenly struck by a powerful zap in his mind. With a last groan, the Hollowfied being fell on his knees and to their surprise, the Hollow mask shattered, revealing Ichigo's pale face.

Sora smiled, knowing what this meant. "We did it, guys. We did it!" Sora cheered as Nel and Naminé smiled in relief while Grimmjow smirked. However, they noticed the hole was still on Ichigo's chest as he started to fall.

"Ichigo!" Nel shouted, running to Ichigo as he fell to the ground. "Ichigo?" Ichigo didn't respond as Nel grabbed him.

"C'mon Ichigo! You better not be getting out of our rematch!" Grimmjow exclaimed as he, Sora, Naminé joined them.

Everyone's eyes widened as spiritual energy began hovering above Ichigo, then it shot down on his chest, closing the hole that was there.

"Unbelievable." Naminé said, shocked. "The hole closed up."

"It's high speed…regeneration." Nel said.

"Hey Ichigo!" Sora said, slowly walking towards Ichigo. "Are you ok?" Then Ichigo rose up to his hands and knees, surprising Sora and Nel.

"I'm still alive?" Ichigo whispered. Then he put his hand on his chest, where the hole used to be. "Wait a minute, didn't I…didn't I have a giant hole my chest?"

"Yes, but you're healed." Nel said with a soft smile.

Ichigo looked at the former Espada. "Nel, are you alright?" She nodded a yes as Ichigo then looked at Grimmjow and Sora all injured.

"Sora! Grimmjow!" He whispered, standing back up.

"I see you finally snap out of it." Sora said with a smirk.

"You're a hard guy to kill. You know that." Grimmjow said.

"Am I the one responsible for your wounds?" Ichigo asked, sweat running down his head.

"Wait, you don't remember?" Sora questioned confused. Ichigo shook his head, then he noticed Naminé standing by. She smiled as she said. "Hello, I'm Naminé. It's nice to officially meet you."

Ichigo looked confused as he doesn't remember meeting her before. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry Ichigo. Naminé's a friend." Sora said. "If it wasn't for her, you'd still be going crazy."

"It was also thanks to everyone else who made it possible." Naminé stated. While Ichigo still tried to make sense of the situation, everyone jumped when a powerful explosion came the pillars, several feet from their location.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked.

"Ulquiorra!" Sora realized. "Kairi, Uryū, and another friend of ours were holding him off while we were saving you."

Nel sensed the area and gasped in shock. "No, one of their energies is rapidly declining."

Upon hearing that, Sora grabbed his Keyblade as he stood up. "Then they need our help. C'mon!" With that, Sora lead Ichigo, Grimmjow, Nel, and Naminé to where Ulquiorra was.

* * *

Moments earlier, everyone combined their strength as they held off Ulquiorra. Uryū fired three Seele Schneider's at Uqluiorra, however, rather than dodge them, he instead destroyed them with his lance. "I will not fall for the same trap again." He said as he was about to strike Uryū, only for his lance to be repelled by Santen Kesshun, created by Orihime.

"Are you okay Uryū?" She asked, which the Quincy nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you Orihime."

"Flower Shoot!" Kairi fired a projectile of light that was twice a big as before. Knowing he could not touch it, Ulquiorra instead jumped over it, where he was then rammed by Vexen's shield, who used the spikes to slash him. As Ulquiorra fell, Vexen raised his shield high. "You're too much trouble! _Diamond Dust!_ "

Ulquiorra soon saw something falling from the sky, to his astonishment. Vexen smirked as he waved his shield, creating an ice storm covered the entire battlefield. As the Fourth Espada walked, he saw small ice patches slowly forming on his arms. Ulquiorra then knew what was happening.

"I would be careful if I were you." Vexen warned. "If you touch ice for so long, there will be…consequences. Now, have some more." Vexen the created three mounds of ice and launched them at Ulquiorra. The Espada used Sonido to dodge them but the Nobody was ready. With one swing, a large ice glacier rose from beneath and struck Ulquiorra in the chest.

Kairi smiled at what she saw. "He got him!"

As Vexen saw Ulquiorra plummet, he seized the moment to deal one last attack. "Now it's over!" However, to his horror, the Frozen Pride shield was split in half, snapping off. Before he could react, Ulquiorra appeared from behind and fired a Cero Oscuras at point blank. All that could be heard was Vexen's screams as he was engulfed in the blast.

Everyone watched in horror at the sight. "Damn, not now!" Uryū cursed.

"Vexen was…" Orihime covered her mouth in horror. Seeing Vexen lying face down on the ground, Ulquiorra walked past him and set his sight on the others.

Uryū's eyes narrowed as he aimed his arrow. "It looks like he's finally entering his endgame. We have to hurry."

Kairi nodded as she raised her Keyblade. "Orihime, try to give us support from the rear. Use your shield to defend us and when you see an opening, attack."

Orihime nodded as she readied her hairpins. "I understand."

"So, you three have decided to make a futile last stand." Ulquiorra said. "Very well then. I will at least make your deaths quick and painless." The three prepared for Ulquiorra, however, to their shocks, Vexen snuck behind the Espada, wrapping his arms around his torso and lifted him up.

"Vexen!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Stay back!" Vexen shouted. "Don't come near me or else you'll be caught in my final attack!"

"A final attack!" Uryū repeated. "What do you plan on doing!?"

"It's something that you would call a…last resort." Vexen stated. "One that will certainly end this scoundrel once and for all."

Ulquiorra continued to remain undaunted as he turned his head. "And what makes you believe your so called 'last resort' will work"

Vexen smirked as he started glowing. "I don't. I just do." Ulquiorra's eyes widened when Vexen's icy blue aura expanded and surrounded him to. "What!"

"Now, Espada! It all ends here!" With a roar, Vexen and Ulquiorra were engulfed in the immense ice and wind that blinded everyone. When the light died down, Orihime had reacted quickly to shield them from the blast. As the shield disappeared, they gasped when they saw Ulquiorra incased in ice, as if he was an ice statue.

"Is…he…" Orihime spoke.

"I…don't know." Uryū said.

"Vexen!" Kairi looked around until she saw a horrific sight. Vexen lying on his back, with smoke coming off his body. Noticing this Kairi, Orihime, and Uryū ran up to him.

"Vexen, are you alright!" Orihime asked, frantically.

"No." Kairi said sorrowfully, getting their attention. "He's fading."

"Fading?" Uryū wondered before realizing what she meant. "You mean your…"

"Yes." Vexen replied. "As one would expect from using your being into one attack." He then chuckled. "Quite ironic since we Nobodies have no beings."

"Please, don't move. I'll heal you." Orihime was about to summon her barrier when Vexen stopped her.

"No please, don't waste your energy. It's quiet all right!" Vexen assured her.

"There they are!" They turned to see Sora and the others running towards them. They also noticed Ichigo among them, much to Orihime and Uryū's delight.

"Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed, with shock and relief.

"You're back!" Uryū said.

"Yeah, I am." Ichigo said, then noticed Vexen. "What's happening!"

Sora and Naminé gasped as they also knew what was happening. "Vexen!" The latter exclaimed.

"You're fading away!" Sora stated. Vexen chuckled once more. "Yes. While not how I envisioned it, it is a fitting end for me." Noticing their sad expressions, Vexen said. "Don't forget, once this body vanishes, I will be recompleted as a human being once more. The very person I used to be before Xehanort."

"But still…you didn't have to sacrifice yourself like that." Naminé said sorrowfully. "What were you trying to do?"

"I just…wanted to atone for my past actions." Vexen said, much to their confusion. "It was the only reason I chose to return as a Nobody and planted myself among Xehanort and the Organization. All to complete the Replicas and restore Roxas…and you" He said to Naminé. "I merely wanted…to rectify my mistake…and make amends…to the people I hurt."

Sora looked down at Vexen. True they had their differences since Castle Oblivion. However, this was different. He could hear the sincerity in his words, and he meant it. He truly was sorry for everything he did and risked everything to undo it. He couldn't help but feel a bit of respect Vexen at this point.

"It's time I pass on." Vexen said then turned to Sora. "Sora, promise me that you will see Roxas and Naminé home safely."

Sora nodded. "I was already planning on doing that. Vexen, I don't know much of what you've done but…" Suddenly, Sora smiled at the Nobody one last time. "Thank you, for saving Roxas and Naminé."

Vexen gasped before smiling one final time. "You are a unique person. I can see why Master Ansem took an interest in you. You have a strong heart, never forget that." With that, Vexen faded away from existence. Orihime let out a small cry as Kairi comforted her. Naminé closed her eyes mournfully as Uryū and Nel lowered their heads in reverence. Grimmjow and Ichigo remained stone faced while Sora looked on in silence. However, that silence was soon shattered…

"How idiotic."

 _Crack_

Everyone snapped their heads as they looked at Ulquiorra's frozen body, cracks forming around it.

"No, don't tell me!" Uryū shouted.

"It…it can't be." Orihime whispered. Then, to their horror, the ice shattered, revealing Ulquiorra, now freed. "He gambled everything on a last resort that did not amount to anything. If there was one good thing to come out of this is that he saved me the trouble of killing him myself."

"No he's freed." Kairi exclaimed. That meant that Vexen sacrificed himself for nothing.

"Ulquiorra!" Ichigo seethed. The Espada in question turned over to Ichigo. "It would seem that you have returned to this battle. While it is interesting that you are alive, you will soon meet your end once more."

Ichigo glare intensified. "We'll see about that."

"Ichigo stop!" Sora said, holding his hand out to stop him. "I'm gonna end this right now."

"Sora, wait! Are you sure?" Nel asked in concern. Sora smiled and gave a nod before facing Kairi and Orihime. "You two get back and heal the others. I won't be long."

Orihime wanted to say something but Kairi stopped her and nodded, assuring her that everything will be alright. Not having any reason to doubt, Orihime followed Kairi as Sora faced off against Ulquiorra.

"You've decided to die first?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically. Sora frowned as he said, "No, I came to stop you from hurting my friends."

"And how do you plan on doing that? If you recall correctly, that dark aura you had was what allowed you to fight me evenly. However, I sense that power is now lost. You have no hope of defeating me." Ulquiorra stated.

"I admit that it made me powerful but that wasn't something I would be proud of." Sora stated. "Back then, I felt nothing but anger and hate, mainly towards what you did to Ichigo. While rage is a strong feeling, it comes at the price of losing yourself and the people who care for you." Sora then gave Ulquiorra a determined glare. "I'm still angry at you for what you did but that's not the reason I'm going to beat."

"And what will the true reason be?" The Espada asked.

"The reason I'll win is because I'm fighting to protect my friends. Their strength becomes my strength!" Sora then shouted. "My friends are my power, and that's the power that's gonna beat you." Just then, a large white aura engulfed Sora all over. Everyone shielded their eyes from the intensity as Ulquiorra observed Sora more.

"This power." He said. "It's like before, only greater. What is this?"

Sora looked all over himself, curious at the display. "How…"

" _Remember that your friends will always be your strength. Even when they are not here, they will always be in your heart."_

"Kalgara!" Sora gasped when he recognized the voice. He then smiled. "Thanks. I know that my friends are with me, and you too." He then grabbed his Kingdom Key. "Now, let's end this." Sora got into his fighting stance, feeling Kalgara behind him and mimicking his stance. "Ulquiorra, you've caused so much pain to my friends. Now, your time has come. I'm gonna stop you."

Sora charged forward as Ulquiorra raised his lance. "Your efforts are pointless!" Their weapons clashed, both opponents releasing a wave of light and darkness. After a second, both fighters took their battle to the sky, flying all over the area as they clashed their weapons at a rapid pace.

"You're no match for me!" Ulquiorra said, slashing Sora across the face. However, Sora retaliated with a slash to his face as well. "I'm gonna stop you Ulquiorra!"

Everyone looked up as they watched the two combatants continued to go blow for blow, until Ulquiorra kicked Sora into a pillar. The Keyblade Wielder struggled to get up until Ulquiorra grabs his head and drags him across the pillar like Ichigo did with him. When they reached the top, Ulquiorra lifted Sora up and kicked him away. Sora flew until he saw another pillar, landing safely on it.

Growing annoyed at Sora, Ulquiorra raised his finger to charge a Cero. "Begone!" He fired his Cero Oscuras at Sora. Seeing the oncoming dark Cero, Sora held his Keyblade and with a slash, he shot a beam of light that collided with the Cero Oscuras. After a power struggle, the Cero was consumed by the light and shot towards Ulquiorra. The force sent him crashing towards three pillars.

Grimmjow smirked. "He got 'em."

"Sora seems to have gotten stronger." Nel asked. "Is this the power he mentioned?"

"It is." Kairi said, with a smile. "Sora, I know you can win."

As if he heard Kairi's voice, Sora nodded. "Right! I won't lose." Bursting free from the rubble, Ulquiorra flew towards Sora and tried to swing his lance at him. Sora just dodged the attacks with little effort and countered with slashes from his Keyblade, which struck the Espada all over.

"You want more! Here! Zantetsuken!" In a flash, Sora delivered a powerful slash on Ulquiorra. "Strike Raid! Sonic Blade! Ars Arcanum! Stun Impact! He performed powerful techniques that Ulquiorra had no chance to counter them in time. With each attack, Ulquiorra found himself getting overpowered.

" _How!?"_ Ulquiorra thought. _"He's a mere human! How is he able to get the better of me!?"_

As Ulquiorra pondered this, his thoughts drifted into a memory of his past as a Hollow. Back then, he felt alone in the world, being white while those around him were black. He had spent many years wandering Hueco Mundo alone, lamenting his own existence, until one day he came across a white tree with many sharp spines. He remembered having found it very satisfying due to its emptiness and sank into it, destroying part of his mask, finally at peace.

" _I was born from nothing, left with nothing."_ He lamented. " _No matter how hard I searched, I could never find my place in this world. We Hollows have lived a life filled with despair and futility, mindlessly devouring soul to fill the emptiness we feel. Only by becoming an Arrancar can we regain a sense of purpose."_

Ulquiorra then drifted off into another memory, one where he met Aizen.

* * *

(Flashback)

From inside the tree, Ulquiorra's eyes opened when he sensed a new spiritual pressure that was near him. Looking up, he saw Aizen, the rogue Soul Reaper looking at him with interest.

"You are quite an unusual Hollow." Aizen stated. "How long have you been bound to this tree?"

Ulquiorra said nothing for a moment as he still eyed Aizen. Then he said, "I'm not sure. I have been asleep for so long. Finding this tree has brought me a sense of peace."

"And how is that?" The Soul Reaper asked.

"We are both white." Ulquiorra stated. "Both of us have been born from nothingness. We feel nothing. As such, we both have no place in this world."

"I see." Aizen said, before giving an aloof smile. "Then let me make you an offer. I can give your life a purpose."

"And how can you do that?" Ulquiorra asked skeptically.

"By giving you power." Aizen said. "You will be different from Hollows, but your power will increase to new heights that they will become envious of you." Offering a hand, Aizen said, "Come with me. Together, you will find a new purpose by joining my ranks."

Ulquiorra gazed out into the Soul Reapers hand, contemplating his decision. Then, Ulquiorra tore his arm out of the tree bark and took Aizen's hand.

"I will."

* * *

(Flashback Ends)

" _By joining Lord Aizen, my life was finally given a new sense of purpose. As such, I vowed to use my new power to fight for Lord Aizen's goals. I will continue to grow strong using my own power, to live for myself and never relying on others._ " But then, Sora's voice came into his mind.

" _I told you before, my friends are my power!"_

" _When your heart is strong, it can connect with others, and make them apart of their hearts to._ "

" _Is this the power he spoke of?_ " Ulquiorra thought until he shook his head. " _No! Preposterous! A heart is nothing but a meaningless concept. It is impossible for such a thing to make him this powerful!_ "

" _ **Shotlock Max: Ragnarok!**_ " Sora fired beams of light that shot towards Ulquiorra. The Fourth Espada let out a fuming snarl. "No! I will not be defeat by the likes of you!"

He launched his Lanza del Relámpago that Sora dodged just before it struck the pillar, destroying it completely. The Keyblade Wielder came to a stop and hovered in the air, looking straight at his opponent.

"I was entrusted to eliminate all threats to Lord Aizen!" Ulquiorra proclaimed. "Since my time as a Hollow, my life was filled with nothing but emptiness. Then, Lord Aizen came and granted me a new purpose. I placed my faith in him, because he is the one who will transcend past the limits of a Soul Reaper. As long as I still live, Lord Aizen's goal will be fulfilled."

"And you're gonna do that by helping Aizen murder thousands of people!" Sora roared.

"If that's what has to be done then so be it!" Ulquiorra then cut his own palm, drawing black blood. Then, he began charging a Cero that was twice as big as a Cero Oscuras. It was the same color as his regular Cero but was darkish green.

"What's he doing!?" Naminé asked, worried.

"Crap! He's gonna fire his Gran Rey Cero!" Grimmjow exclaimed.

"You're kidding!" Uryū shouted then looked at Nel. "Nel, go and devour it now!"

"I can't!" Nel said as she started sweating. Uryū looked at her in confusion. Kairi turned to Orihime. "Orihime, put a shield around us!"

She nodded and was about to do it, until she noticed something. "Where's Ichigo!"

Everyone looked around and saw that Ichigo was in fact missing. Meanwhile, Sora looked at the Gran Rey Cero that Ulquiorra was preparing.

"Are you crazy!" Sora shouted. "If you fire that now, you'll destroy Las Noches!"

"If Las Noches has to be destroyed to eliminate those who threaten Lord Aizen so be." Ulquiorra declared. With that, he fired the Gran Rey Cero. Sora stood his ground as he prepared to block the Gran Rey Cero, or at least use his power to reduce the damage. However, someone came between them and…

" **Getsuga Tenshō!** "

Suddenly, a Getsuga Tenshō, that was ten times larger than it was, fired and struck the Gran Rey Cero. After a brief period, both attacks canceled each other, causing a shockwave that spread across the area. Sora and Ulquiorra barely stood their ground while everyone inside Orihime's barrier felt the vibration.

"What the hell was that!" Grimmjow asked.

Looking up in the sky, Orihime smiled when she saw the figure. "It's Ichigo!"

It was Ichigo, now donning his Hollow Mask. However, unlike before, this mask now has two thick vertical black stripes, each on one half of the mask, which are interrupted by the widened eyeholes and the jaw.

"Ichigo…Kurosaki." Ulquiorra said in disbelief. " _His power seems to have increased substantially. Was it because of what happened before?_ "

Sora also looked at Ichigo in shook as he dispelled his Hollow Mask. "Ichigo…is that…"

"Hurry!" Ichigo cut him off. "C'mon Sora!"

Sora was surprised for a moment before he nodded in determination, looking up at Ulquiorra. Holding his Keyblade with both hands, Sora gnashed his teeth as the light aura returned to him, becoming bigger and potent than it was before.

Ulquiorra prepared to move away, only to find himself stuck. "What!" Looking down on his body, Ulquiorra saw small ice patches on both his feet, right arm, wings, and tail. This made those appendages go numb, like they were frozen.

"How!" He asked until he remembered Vexen suicide attack, where he was incased in ice. "Could that attack have weakened me this much!?"

"You'll never find meaning in your life! Not as long as you're still being used by Aizen! Why are you letting him control you!" Sora yelled, rearing his Keyblade back, the aura being transferred to the blade, glowing brightly. Ulquiorra gasped as Sora closed in.

"Find new meaning…and decided things…for yourself!" Ulquiorra didn't have time to react before Sora delivered a mighty strike across his body. The Espada shouted as he plummeted straight back down, crashing into the last pillar, breaking through all the floors as it toppled down.

* * *

From below, everyone looked up as they sensed the commotion happening above the canopy. For the last ten minutes, several spirit energies appeared and began shooting up like crazy. However, what surprised them more was that they felt a small tremor coming from above that shook the towers.

"What the hell is going on up there!?" Renji asked, dumbfounded.

"It sounds like the battle has begun to escalate." Aqua stated.

Mickey carefully sensed the energy, then said. "Fellas, that was definitely Sora just now."

"You're right." Xion confirmed. "He and that Ichigo person must be fighting that Espada."

"Master Nel also went up there to." Pesche said.

"And don't forget Grimmjow and Uryū." Dondochakka reminded.

"They went up there to save Kairi and Orihime." Terra recalled. "But it seems things have gotten more intense than before?"

Rukia looked up in concern. "Do you think they're going to be okay?"

"I hope so." Riku replied. "By the way things look, this fight may already be over!"

* * *

A thick cloud of smoke covered the entire canopy of Las Noches. After a moment, the smoke blew away and revealed the destruction that had befallen. All the pillars had tumbled down and large pieces of debris was scattered across the area.

As Orihime dispelled her shield, she and the others gasped when they noticed Ichigo staring at a deep crater. Lying flat on his back was Ulquiorra with a large gash mark on his torso. Seconds later, his Segunda Etapa dissipated into his standard Resurrección. However, that to also dissipated, returning to its sword form. Ulquiorra himself was a complete mess himself. His white jackt was torn off completely, revealing his bare chest riddled with cuts, scratch marks, and the gash from Sora's final attack. His hakuma was also tattered and his shoes were ripped.

Ichigo heard Ulquiorra lightly groaned. When he tried to sense him, he saw that he was completely spent of spirit energy. He now knew that it was over. They had won. Ulquiorra was defeated for real this time.

As everyone gather together, they saw Sora descend and land a few meters away from his adversary and his friends. They all stared at awe as Sora landed.

"He did it." Orihime said, forming a smile as tears fell. This time, they were of joy. "Sora really defeated him."

"I knew he would win." Kairi said, also smiling. "I always believed he would."

Nel wiped away a tear or relief as Grimmjow smirked. "Gotta hand it to him. The kid ain't to shabby."

"I'm so happy for Sora." Naminé said as Ichigo nodded, looking at Sora with a smirk.

Uryū however looked with wide eyes at Sora. " _I've heard of the stories, but I never imagined it to be like this. So this is the true power…of the ancient warrior…a Keyblade Wielder."_

He gazed at the hardened expression on Sora, who raised his Kingdom Key Keyblade high, signifying his victory.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _ **A/N: Whew! I'm glad I was able to finish this chapter. These last few weeks, I've been working at schools, however, now I can officially say that summer is here. But please know that I still have other things in my life to deal with. However, I hope to get midway to the Fake Karakura Town battles by Summers end. Speaking of which, I estimate that there are two chapters left before we reach that point in the story where Sora joins the Soul Reapers in the Fake Karakura Town. As for how that happens, you'll see.**_

 _ **Anyways, I enjoyed working on this chapter, as it not only had Ulquiorra and Hollow Ichigo but also the return of Vexen and Naminé, something that was long overdue. Tragically, Vexen suffered eradication once more, but you know that he will go back to being Even. I'm not sure how he did that after Kingdom Hearts III, but they might explain it in the DLC. As you've also read, Isa is joining the party in fighting Yammy. Xigbar also returns to. His role is somewhat minor, but I plan to pit him against two people. You'll see in the next chapter.**_

 _ **Now, I was gonna have Rage Form Sora debut but then I thought that having Hollow Ichigo at the same time would have been overkill. However, as you have read, it is slowly begging to manifest, and I plan to have it return in a new form entirely. That's for later in the story. I also had Naminé be a factor to restoring Ichigo's mind by severing the Inner Hollow's corruption over it. As for Vexen, I included his move set from KH: Chain of Memories, while mixing Diamond Dust from his Sleight and Limit Break.**_

 _ **Now, I know that Sora has technically 'destroyed' his enemies in the past, but that was never done out of anger or hatred. I did it because he wanted to stop them, to protect his friends and bring peace. What he saw Ichigo doing went against that and that is why he stopped him. He didn't want Ichigo to lose his humanity. I also took inspiration from Ulquiorra's backstory to create a scene where he meets Aizen. I also added some character by having Ulquiorra grow frustrated, since he's fighting someone whose ideology conflicts with his.**_

 _ **Just to point out that the Max Shotlock Lea did was an original one that was based off Atomic**_ ** _Deluge._**

 _ **Next Time: With Ulquiorra defeated, the Arsoke Alliance make their last stand against Yammy. However, the Tenth Espada shows that he is more powerful than his rank revealed. Please read, review, and remember that I love all of you 3000.**_

 _ **Review Time:**_

 _ **GenieNight08:**_ _Where do I begin. 1.) They have only used 4_ _th_ _tier magic on Espada leveled Arrancars. For regular Hollows, Menos Grande, and average Arrancars, they would be annihilated instantly. 2.) Remember, Hueco Mundo and The Soul Society exist outside the Ocean Between Worlds. That was why they needed the Garganta to get there. It's the same with the sleeping worlds, how they needed Yen Sid's magic or the Sleeping Keyholes to navigate it. 3.) I've given Keyblade Wielders like Kairi, Riku, Terra, and Aqua time to shine. And they will have their moments next chapter. Also, I will point out that Keyblade Wielders can destroy Heartless with ease but when pitted against people that are not Heartless is where their strength gets tested._

 _ **Khy Dragon:**_ _Unfortunately, Hollow Ichigo only fought Ulquiorra. However, there were signs that Sora was slowly succumbing to his Rage Form. Don't fret though, you will see an Anti-Sora fight later on._

 _ **NinjaFang1331:**_ _Thank you._

 _ **Gundam-Knight-Chris:**_ _In this story, no. She will mainly be a guide for Sora, using her light should he lose his way. However, it will be revealed later that has been doing something important for Sora. She will play a major role in the sequel, as well as her origins._

 _ **Hotstreak's crossover stories:**_ _Yeah, I decided to include him in the story. He's not entire a good guy, I'd say he's doing this for his own agenda. Think of it like Vegeta or Gajeel, enemies that would later become allies._

 _ **Antex-The Legendary Zoroark:**_ _I'm happy to hear your positive comments on my story. Yes, that chapter was also something I enjoyed writing. You were right that Isa and Xigbar appeared, but the characters that helped Sora where Vexen and Naminé. Sorry, I was gonna use Isa, but I decided to save him for next chapter, since he will help in battling a certain rage induced Espada._

 _ **Taromaru:**_ _I'm glad you also enjoyed my last chapter. Yes, Sora and Ichigo showed their ability to work together, which will help them in the battle against Aizen. You were right that Orihime lacked confidence and resolve in herself. However, as you have read in this chapter, she was able to find it. You were also right that I based Ichigo and Grimmjow's team up from Natsu and Gajeel (Fairy Tail is my favorite Anime/Manga by the way). It makes sense since they were enemies before. You were also right that having Rage Form Sora and Hollow Ichigo vs Ulquiorra would be overkill. That is why I will save Rage Form Sora for later. I will say that the person Sora meets in his mind will help him. As for who, stay tuned._

 _ **GlassyHades:**_ _Wait no longer._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Sorry, but neither of your two choices happened. However, Yen Sid will make his move during the Fake Karakura Town battle._

 _ **Guest:**_ _I don't usually like going into debate of who's stronger. However, from what I saw, Master Xehanort had the power of the χ-blade and Kingdom Hearts itself, which nearly killed Sora. So, I believe he would be more of a match for Aizen when he goes through his Hōgyoku transformation. However, one thing that sets them apart is that Aizen became too arrogant in his later transformation, something Master Xehanort never showed._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Interesting dream you have. I would certainly like to no more about this OC. Creating Humanoid Heartless sounds like a cool idea, but that depends on Nomura._

 _ **Guest:**_ _Your theory does sound plausible. A lot of things did change after the Keyblade War._

 _ **Guest:**_ _I am a big fan of Hunter X Hunter and RWBY. However, I'm not sure if I'm up for creating such a crossover. Already have my hands full._

 _ **Guest:**_ _I'm doing well. Nothing serious, just working and tending to family affairs._


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